Promises Made
by Iratus
Summary: As Sheppard recovers from his injuries Lorne escorts Elizabeth to Daleria with a promise to keep her safe. But promises can be hard to keep. Will Sheppard and his team be able to rescue her? Sequel to Out of Time. Shep whump guaranteed!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

This is the sequel to my previous story Out of Time but may be read on its own.

**Chapter 1**

"So when were you going to tell me?" He saw her flinch as she looked up from her laptop to see him stood in her doorway. He stepped further into her office as he continued. "Or weren't you going to tell me at all?"

She saw that his movements were stiff and the limp was still present, both signs that he was still recovering from his latest infirmary visit. As was the presence of the sling on his left arm. He had tried ditching it a few days earlier until Beckett had seen him and threatened him with a very large needle unless he behaved. She smiled and enjoyed the confusion that dashed across his face.

"What?"

"Obviously you're taking 'Light Duties' seriously for a change and haven't read all the latest reports or you wouldn't be asking that question." She watched his reaction and continued to smile.

"Yeah well you know how I hate paperwork."

"That I do." She nodded. "Don't worry I'm only going for a few days and Lorne's team will be there to keep me safe. The Dalerians need help translating the Ancient text on some ruins and we need their crops. Crops they have already provided us with in good faith I might add."

Sheppard nodded, remembering the report on the first meeting with the Dalerians. It was the first off-world mission made by Lorne and his team after the memorial service and before his own return. It still felt strange to have effectively come back from the dead. Good but strange. Some expedition members were so happy to see him back that they had hugged him. Would've continued to hug him if they hadn't noticed the pained look on his face from the effect it had on his healing injuries. They would then become apologetic. Effusively so. All the while making him uncomfortable with the level of personal attention he was receiving. Others still seemed uncomfortable around him, almost embarrassed that they had accepted him as among the dead. He remembered what Beckett had told him about the extent of his injuries and how close he had come to making their beliefs a fact. How close he had come to not seeing her face again.

She put her hand on his uninjured arm. "You okay?"

He put on a smile seeing the concern on her face. "I'm fine. Coming to movie night tonight?"

She noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'll be there. You know you'll be in charge in my absence but I want you to accept help from Teyla and Rodney." She saw him move to protest. "You're still recovering. Carson would have my hide if I let you take the workload on by yourself."

She guided him towards the door. "Now much as I'd like to chat, John, there are a few things that I must do before tomorrow. I'll see you at dinner." She watched him limp his way out of her office wondering if he would tell her what really had him so distracted and distant. She knew all the details from their encounter with the time machine. At least all the details any of them were prepared to tell her. But ever since he had been released from the infirmary she sensed that something was bothering him. At first they had spent much of his recovery together watching movies, watching the waves lap against the pier or just talking. He was never the chatterbox that Rodney could be at times but she had always managed to have interesting conversations with John. Many of them on subjects she had been surprised he would have an interest in. Now he seemed to withdraw from their conversations a little. She wondered if it was something more than just his recovering from his injuries that was to blame. Had something happened during his absence that he had not spoken of? Something that was getting him down. She knew that he was a private person, even with her and she would just have to wait till he was ready to talk about whatever it was that was on his mind.

oOOOo

John stood at the balcony, watching as Lorne's team gathered in the gate room. He turned to his 2IC and wished he was going in his place but knew Weir was right. "Keep her safe, Major."

"Intend to, sir."

John nodded, turning when he heard Elizabeth's footsteps behind him. She was pulling on a backpack that seemed to dwarf her. "I see you packed light."

She looked up to see the smirk plastered on his face. "See that my city is still in one piece when I return, John." returning his smirk with one of her own. "And see that you keep yourself in one piece too."

"We will make sure that he does, Dr Weir." added Teyla with a smile as she joined the group outside Weir's office followed by Ronon.

Weir laughed when Sheppard's smirk dropped from his face to be replaced with one of indignation.

"I don't need baby-sitting, Elizabeth." He kept his eyes on her ignoring the chuckles from his 2IC, he could deal with him later, find some unpleasant duty for him to perform like baby-sitting McKay or working as his human switch for all things Ancient for a day.

"Yes you do." replied Ronon earning himself a glare from his team leader.

"What is this? Pick on John day?"

Weir signalled the gate technician to dial the gate. "It's only for a few days, John." She headed for the steps leaving John watching her departure. "Major."

Lorne looked to his CO before following Weir. Sheppard moved over to lean on the railing as Lorne's team stepped into the wormhole ahead of Lorne. Weir glanced up and gave him a brief smile before she too stepped into the event horizon. Sheppard remained where he was stood. He caught the scent of Athosian soap that he knew Elizabeth liked and turned to see Teyla by his side.

"I believe you have not had breakfast yet this morning."

John smiled realising that his team were serious about keeping an eye on him. "Lead on."

oOOOo

Weir stepped out of the event horizon and smiled as she felt the warmth of the early morning sun on her shoulders and smelt the sweet perfumed scent of springtime. She looked around at the grassy field currently flooded with a sea of gently bobbing yellow and white flowers and spotted the worn path that led the way to the main village. Lorne's men had already fallen into their routine and had started down the path. Lorne was still by her side waiting for her to make a move and then fell in behind her.

The path took them through the field of flowers and past the outlying crop fields where several Dalerians were busy picking the harvest and loading it into large wicker baskets ready for taking back to the village. She smiled and waved to them as they looked up from their work to watch the visitors approach, smiling back when they recognised Lorne and his men.

The landscape changed again as the crop fields were replaced with simple outbuildings reflecting their age with their worn timbers and moss covered shingles. More buildings sat on the horizon and soon she was close enough to hear the sounds of children laughing as they played outside one of the buildings only stopping when a woman called to them from the doorway. She smiled when she saw their reluctance as they dragged their feet and made promises to each other of more games later. Their reactions reminded her of a certain person when it came to completing his paperwork.

She noticed that the buildings were no longer made of wood, no longer worn and weary but bright and modern, a reflection of the hope these people held for a world without the constant threat from the Wraith. The sounds of a people going about their daily lives echoed around her as she took in the sights and smells, catching a hint of something like cinnamon floating on the breeze. She breathed deeply, vowing to find the source of those delicious smells before returning to Atlantis. Maybe she could appease her military commander with something sugary knowing his weakness for cake was similar to hers for chocolate.

"We're here, ma'am."

She blinked as Lorne's words broke into her thoughts, seeing the large building before her. It was set apart from the others and was the only building in the village with a large grassed area and a paved pathway leading up to its imposing entrance. It reminded her of some of the Government buildings in Washington with tall stone pillars rising to meet the portico above. Her eyes followed them till she saw the writing carved into the stonework far above them. The symbols were similar to those of the Ancients, tantalisingly so but amongst them she could see symbols that she did not recognise. She failed to understand their meaning and wondered if they represented a new dialect of Ancient. A variant on the one she was more familiar with.

"Dr Weir, I presume. I see you are admiring our homage to our Ancestors."

Weir lowered her eyes to the man stood before her on the steps of the building taking in his welcoming smile. She found herself returning his smile as she approached, realising that Lorne's description of the man was accurate. She could see that man stood before her was imposing with his height and his strikingly blue eyes below a mop of blond hair that gave Sheppard's messy locks a run for their money. She suspected that the Councillor had deliberately chosen the top step for his greeting to make himself appear even taller and more imposing. He wore what she assumed were his robes of office. As blue as his eyes and just as lustrous as any silks from Earth and very different from the earthy tones worn by the villagers.

"Yes I was, Councillor Brille." She joined him on the steps and turned to look back to take in the view of the buildings around them. "You have a lovely village here."

"We like to think so. Now I'm sure that you are keen to get started but I thought some refreshments and a chance to meet with some of our local historians would be nice, what do you say?"

"I'd say it sounds delightful." replied Weir allowing the Councillor to take her arm and lead her into the building.

Lorne nodded to two of his men to stay put while the rest followed him into the building behind Weir.

The Councillor guided her through the passageways until they reached a large archway that led into an even larger room. The Councillor smiled as he saw her eyes widen with surprise. "Beautiful isn't it? It is the most exquisite room in all of Daleria."

She wanted to reach out and touch the beautiful fabrics that draped over the furniture, their silken threads reflecting the light as it entered the large windows adorning one wall, revealing an equally impressive walled garden, reminding her of her days in France staying in a country chateau in the Loire Valley. She followed the Councillor into the room and took the seat offered, her mouth watering at the sight of the delicately crafted cakes before her, all miniature works of art almost too good to eat. She really would have to take a sample home to John, maybe a little sugar would lift his mood.

Lorne's men remained by the doorway as Lorne took a seat near his boss, letting his eyes roam the room before resting on the man now sat opposite Weir.

"Don't you ever relax, Major. You are perfectly safe here I assure you."

"Sorry Councillor, habit."

The Councillor smiled. "I can understand that and will take no offence. Please help yourselves, our chefs have been most busy anxious to please our new allies. I will join you again in a moment after I have seen what is keeping our historians."

oOOOo

Weir smiled at the tall man beside her even as she saw Major Lorne roll his eyes.

"So you have no written records about this site, Dr Harneg?" asked Weir returning her attention to the man walking beside her.

"Please call me Sol. No we don't unfortunately. We believe that the writings are those of the Ancestors but only because of the similarity to other sites that are documented. Most of those sites lie in ruin, a result of a great battle many eons ago. So far we have been unable to determine the meaning of the writings or the purpose of this site."

"How much farther is it, Dr?" asked Lorne.

"Not much further. It is beyond the next rise." replied Sol before turning his attention back to Weir. "I hope that you will find our temporary accommodations to your liking. It is not as comfortable as the village but it is preferable to making the trek each day."

"I am sure it will be more than satisfactory." replied Weir with a smile.

"It truly is an honour to have such an expert on the Ancient language visit our site."

Lorne barely managed to control a chuckle turning it into a cough when he noticed Weir's eyes swing his way.

"Are you alright, Major?" asked Sol.

"Um...yes. Just caught one of those bugs in my throat."

"Yes the larofli can be rather annoying at this time of year. I find it best to walk with one's mouth shut."

Lorne spotted Weir covering her mouth to hide her own laugh. "So it would seem, sir."

Weir picked one of the yellow flowers as they continued up the grassy rise, raising it to her nose to take in its sweet perfume, wondering whether she should include the flowers in the negotiations. She loved living on Atlantis and had long grown used to falling asleep to the sounds of the waves breaking against it but there were still some things from Earth that she missed. Having a garden was one even though she had rarely had the free time to spend in her garden and doubted she would ever find the time on Atlantis given the work load associated with being the boss.

"Wow." remarked Lorne as he saw the Ancient site that they had come to study. "You never said it was this large."

"Part of what you see before you is the temporary encampment. Many of our peoples visit this spot to view the buildings of the Ancients, we did not want to detract from their experience by making our encampment obvious." replied Sol watching Weir as she looked at the sight spread out before her.

"Why do they stop at this spot? Why not go the rest of the way?" asked Lorne.

"This site is important to our people and so is its preservation. Only a select few are allowed beyond this point such as historians and Councillors. Were it not for your knowledge of the Ancient language then you too would not be allowed on such a sacred site to our peoples. Come let us continue." Sol started down the slope towards the Ancient site.

"McKay won't like it when he finds out that they have a whole Ancient city here and he had to stay home." remarked Lorne quietly.

"No he won't." replied Weir before she started down the slope.

**TBC**

**A/N:** An Ancient city. What will they find? Can it really be this idyllic in the Pegasus Galaxy? Can Sheppard keep out of trouble whilst Weir is off-world? If you want to find out you'll have to pay the price by leaving a review. It's fun and it's easy just press that button at the bottom of the page.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own. And remember, author's respond well to reviews – they may even write faster. Thanks to all those registering for Story or Author Alerts and special thanks to those marking me as either a Favourite Story or Author 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 2**

Teyla found him out on the balcony. She stood in the doorway and watched him as he watched the waves break against the side of Atlantis in the dying moments of the sunset. He was lost in his thoughts, unaware of her presence and maybe she should leave it that way. She looked down at the pill bottle Ronon had given her earlier. Pain-killers for the headaches that still plagued him and the ache of mending bones. Pain-killers he kept forgetting to take. She looked back towards the figure at the railing catching him with his hand rubbing at his temple. She walked over and leant on the rail beside him holding out the pill bottle.

Sheppard felt the presence by his side and looked down at the outstretched hand. Teyla's hand. He sighed and took the bottle shaking out a couple of tablets before dry swallowing them.

Teyla studied his face in the remaining twilight noticing the fine lines of pain surrounding his hooded eyes. She saw something else in his eyes as well. Something not caused by the injuries that he was recovering from. Something for which there was no cure. Not for a few days anyway. "Major Lorne will keep her safe."

Sheppard nodded his head not denying her words.

Teyla continued to watch him as he stared back at the waves only the whitecaps now visible in the light spilling out from the city. She reached out to him placing a hand on his arm. "I am meeting the others for dinner."

Sheppard smiled. He didn't really feel like eating but he wasn't about to admit that to her. She'd likely tell Beckett and then he'd get another one of those lectures about taking better care of himself. It would be just easier to give in and try to eat something despite his worries. He knew Lorne would protect Elizabeth with his life just as he would himself. He just had this feeling that something wasn't right. Maybe it stemmed from the incident free three weeks since his return. Something almost unheard of on Atlantis with all the off-world missions and scientific research being undertaken on unknown Ancient devices and strange plant life, some of which was more aggressive and carnivorous than the animal life they had encountered.

He felt the gentle pull on his arm and let Teyla lead him away from his dark thoughts to the mess and his friends.

oOOOo

"I wonder why they don't let their own people into the city?" asked Lorne as he watched Weir examine the Ancient writing carved into the wall by an opening.

"I don't know, maybe they are just concerned that uncontrolled access may result in it being damaged."

"Maybe. I sure bet McKay would want to check this place out, see if the Ancients left anything interesting behind." Lorne noticed Weir's raised eyebrows. "Other than the very interesting texts of course."

Weir smiled at his quick correction before turning her attention back to her work. Lorne soon grew bored watching her work and began to pace back and forth.

"I'll be alright on my own if you want to do some exploring Major."

"That's okay, ma'am."

Weir stopped her work and turned to face the pacing man. "I'm perfectly safe here."

"Most probably but the Colonel would have my-"

"I get the picture." replied Weir returning her attention to the text before her.

oOOOo

The sun was sinking behind the horizon changing the sky from blue to orange and casting a golden glow across the Ancient city.

"Is it not beautiful?" asked Sol.

"It is." replied Weir as she continued to watch the sun set behind the city. She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see his smile.

"Would you care to join me for dinner?"

Weir sensed that he was after more than a dinner companion. Looking beyond the historian she spotted Lorne watching them with interest. She suspected that he was getting the same vibe still it was important to maintain a friendly relationship with these people and if that meant sitting through a dinner with the man then she would. She would just be careful what signals she sent and on any future visits she'd be bringing one of the science team – maybe Rodney. "Yes, thank you."

She turned towards the encampment conscious of the closeness of the man walking beside her. He continued to talk about the other Ancient sites that they had found. All in ruins with few artefacts remaining from the times when the Ancients had walked on this world. This site had been quite the reverse. Surprisingly so given that the Wraith were blamed for the damage to the other sites. She was sure that Rodney could come up with a reason as to why this site had been spared if given the opportunity to explore its secrets.

She followed Sol as led her to a seat at a table away from the others. A table that she noted was covered in a fine array of local dishes, both hot and cold, their sweet and savoury aromas reminding her that it was several hours since her last meal.

"A taste of Daleria." offered Sol indicating that she should sit before sitting opposite her. "Councillor Brille has sent his best chef to prepare our meals during your stay with us. He is most keen to ensure that our alliance is both friendly and long lasting."

Weir smiled. "I am sure it will be. Your people have been very generous to us already, not everyone we have met has been so generous or friendly."

Sol nodded in agreement as he spooned a healthy serving of a dark stew into his bowl. "Yes it seems that dark times are upon us with the waking of the Wraith and it would seem that it has driven some worlds to desperate means to survive. So far our people have been lucky. I only hope that they remain so and that we find an answer in the ruins."

"What exactly do you hope to find there?" asked Weir accepting the cup of dark liquid that he handed her. She noticed that he deliberately brushed her hand with his as she accepted the drink bringing the cup quickly to her nose so that she could cut short the contact without being offensive. She breathed in the fruity aroma that reminded her of the plums,

"It's wine made from the jenai fruit. It is a rare delicacy among our people." replied Sol indicating her drink "Our history tells of a powerful weapon once used against a great enemy. Unfortunately very little else is known. The text that held the information was damaged over the ages and little remains of it. We are left to hope that one day our research will lead us to this weapon, if it indeed exists, before the Wraith visit our planet."

"Have your people searched the Ancient buildings?" asked Weir before biting into the local bread.

"We have been unable to venture very far into the complex. It would appear that there are doorways but they do not open for us and we are afraid to try force lest we damage the structure."

Weir smiled at his response. "We may be able to help you there."

Sol looked up from his food. "How so?"

"We have had some experience getting into other buildings built by the Ancients in our travels." replied Weir.

"Is this how you came across your understanding of their language?"

Weir took a sip of the wine, which she found a little sweet for her tastes, before replying. "Partly, over the years I have learnt several languages. Most of them are built along similar constructs and rules. It's amazing really how knowing one language can help you understand another seemingly unrelated one. Of course that can also lead to some rather embarrassing misunderstandings as well. But on the whole most languages are influenced by those of their neighbours and the generations that come before and after."

"I can see that languages are your passion, Elizabeth."

Weir looked away suddenly uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze. She was definitely sending someone else next time. Someone male. Someone that hopefully Sol wouldn't want to seduce.

She politely excused herself after the meal claiming gate-lag before retiring to her private quarters.

Lorne watched her go frowning when he noticed Sol watching her. "Jenkins you're on first watch." Without waiting for acknowledgement he headed out into the night catching up with Weir.

She turned quickly at the sounds of footsteps behind her relaxing when she saw who it was. "Everything okay, Major?"

"I should be asking you that question, ma'am." replied Lorne tilting his head in the direction of the building that they had left.

"Everything's fine. Sol is just a little..." she struggled for the right word.

"Too interested in you ma'am." completed Lorne "Not that I'd ever stop you from...I...uh...promised the Colonel that I'd keep you safe and that includes from overbearing suitors who can't see their target isn't interested."

Weir smiled. "Easy Major. This alliance is important to us, if that means I have to deal with Sol then I will. I have handled men like him before."

"Yes ma'am but if you don't mind I think I'll mount a watch just the same.'

Weir nodded her head. "Good night, Major."

"Good night, ma'am" replied Lorne.

Weir entered her private quarters stifling a yawn as she slipped her shoes off and changed into her nightclothes. Sleep was calling out to her and she was happy to give her book a miss and burrowed under the covers finding the bed deliciously comfortable. She reflected back on Sol's behaviour and was glad for Lorne's protectiveness. She was telling him the truth when she said she had handled men like him before but the truth was that it had not always ended well. She hoped it would end better this time as they really needed this alliance. Their contact with Earth, although regular, still struggled to meet their need for fresh food hampered by the three week trek from the Milky Way to Pegasus. Tinned and frozen food just wasn't the same and she knew John would rather fill the Daedulus with ordinance to use against the Wraith. Who could blame him given how much ordinance it took to kill a single Wraith. She hoped Sol was right about the city holding the answers to the Ancient weapon talked about in the Dalerian legends. They could use a little good luck. She burrowed deeper into the covers and drifted off to sleep.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Hmm? An Ancient weapon, I'm sure we've all heard that one before. It's either a weapon or a ZPM and usually turns out to be nothing but trouble with our favourite team right in the firing line. That wouldn't happen again now would it? You know the drill, leave a review. You know you can't resist. That button at the bottom of the page has been waiting for you patiently while you've been reading. Just waiting for a little attention all of its own. Just one click. That's all it asks. That isn't too much to give is it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter ****3**

The encampment grew quieter as everyone retired to their quarters for the night. Everyone except Lieutenant Jenkins. He quietly patrolled around the perimeter of the encampment listening for the sounds of trouble but only hearing the sound of whatever insects this planet held. The sounds reminded him of the crickets that filled the summer night air back home in Australia.

He nodded as he passed one of the historians heading towards his quarters. He liked night watch duties. He liked the time alone that it gave him. The time to think. He rarely had that opportunity since arriving in the Pegasus Galaxy with the last batch of new recruits. His time on an SGC team should have prepared him for what this Galaxy had to offer. But it hadn't. Even the briefing he had attended before he had been assigned on what to expect had somehow failed to really prepare him. It had still come as a surprise just how much trouble the expedition seemed to get themselves into. He was just glad that they also seemed to be capable of getting themselves out of that same trouble, most of the time.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a rustling sound coming from somewhere beyond the encampment. He swung the light of his P-90 in its direction seeking out the cause, continuing to watch for a few moments more. But the sound did not repeat itself. Probably some animal or other, he thought before continuing on his patrol heading in the direction of Weir's quarters. Lorne had asked him to keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors. Dalerian or not.

Jenkins continued his patrol walking along the outer perimeter before turning and heading back towards the Ancient city. He felt a sharp sting pierce his neck and swatted at it with his hand. They had been warned about the biting Larofli insects. He was surprised when his fingers brushed against something else. He pulled the object from his skin and looked at it, his vision blurring as he recognised the object as a dart. He dropped it and spun around drunkenly looking for his attacker but saw no-one. He stumbled forward reaching a hand towards his radio, his other hand raising his P-90 still searching for a target. Eyelids drooping he struggled against the effects of the drug, desperate to warn his team of the danger. He stumbled again before collapsing to his knees, eyes barely open and his weapon fallen by his side as he succumbed to the drug's overwhelming pull into the darkness, sliding down to the ground. He didn't see the figures that emerged from the darkness nor did he hear them as quiet instructions were given.

The figures dressed in dark clothing kept to the shadows as they made their way past the dining tent and towards the sleeping quarters. The man in front raised his hand stopping those that followed before he indicated for the group to split up. The leader of the group moved again this time making his way to Weir's quarters letting himself in quietly and moving to the side of the sleeping woman. He took a small device from his pocket and placed it against her neck.

Weir woke with a start to see a man leaning over her. She tried to pull away from him but felt a sharp prick at her neck as a hand covered her mouth. She grabbed at his hand trying to push him away as she struggled to understand what was happening but he was too strong for her. She felt her movements become sluggish as she failed to shift her attacker's hand. Her eyelids grew heavy and she slid into oblivion.

The man felt his victim's body go limp beneath his hands as the drug took effect. He pulled the covers roughly out of his way and lifted the unconscious woman's body over his shoulder before turning and making his way back outside. More of his men joined him shortly later carrying the historians. He signalled for them to head out as the last of his men arrived.

"Any trouble?" asked the leader.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." replied the large man.

The leader examined the bundle over the large man's shoulder pulling the man up by his hair, noticing the blood dripping down from a head wound. He glanced over at the other two bundles before turning back. "Where's the other one?"

"He wasn't very co-operative. A mistake he won't make again."

"Well I guess one hostage won't make a difference. Let's get moving before this lot wake up."

The men moved quickly no longer concerned with stealth but with speed anxious to clear the encampment with their prize.

oOOOo

Morning arrived bathing the Dalerian village in a warm orange glow as the first few rays of light stretched above the horizon bringing with it the promise of another beautiful spring day. The sounds of the village waking could be heard as the farmers moved out to tend their crops and milk their livestock to a chorus of bird-life twittering and singing as if greeting the new day.

Councillor Brille was already sat at his desk despite the early hour; a steaming mug of tea in his hand as he read through a report of the expected crop yields from the current growing season. He was pleased to see that not only could they meet the volume that he wished to trade with the Lanteans but he had more than enough to extend the negotiations for more aid with the Ancient city.

He took another sip of his tea as he thought about the prospect of uncovering the mysteries hidden within the texts found only in the Ancient city and the possibility that the fabled weapon could well be within their reach. No longer would they live in fear of the return of the Wraith to their world. He was broken from his thoughts by a knock at his door.

"Come." called Councillor Brille as he continued to read the report.

The door swung into the room dwarfing the figure that opened it despite his tall, heavy-set frame. The middle-aged man made the journey across the marble floor stopping in front of the ornately carved wooden table without a word. In his hand he held a single scroll tied with ribbon. He deposited the scroll on the table before taking a single step back and bowing.

"What is it?" asked Brille picking up the scroll and tugging at the ribbon.

"It is the list of deliveries requested for the encampment, sire. The men have loaded the cart ready to make the run with the fresh food supplies for the chefs. Will you be riding with them today, sire?"

Brille considered his answer as he looked over the list. If he was truthful to himself there was nothing that he would like better than go to the encampment to find out what the woman from Lantea had learned about the city already. But he was also a realist and knew it was probably too early for any significant discovery to have been made. He also had some rather important matters of state that required his attention and he had resolved to address them on this day. He would not forgive himself if he let the matters slide yet again. It had already cost one man his life and may well result in more loss of life if he did not quell the matter quickly.

"Not today, Tergan. Tell the driver that I will try to make it down tomorrow and send Zengali in."

"Yes, sire." replied Tergan bowing again before departing pulling the large door closed behind him.

Brille sighed before finishing his tea knowing that the next matter that he had to deal with was not likely to go well. He closed the harvest report and opened the next one re-reading the details even though he already knew them by heart. He heard the door swing open again but he chose to ignore it and keep Zengali waiting. A sure sign of his disappointment in the man's performance of late.

He finished the report and continued to ignore the man stood before his desk. He felt the side of the teapot deciding that it was still warm enough to have another cup of his favourite tea. Maybe it would improve his mood. Only when he'd finished the drawn out ritual of pouring his tea, carefully adding the red liquid across its surface and waiting until it changed from a deep red into a brilliant yellow almost as bright as the sun as the two liquids blended indicating that the naturally bitter taste of the leaves had been replaced with the sweetness of the fire fruit so named for the heat the liquid gave off as it was consumed. Content that he had mixed his tea to his liking he picked up his cup and took a long pleasurable swallow of the sweet liquid before deciding it was now time to deal with the man stood before him.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no that's not good; I wouldn't want to be the person telling Sheppard about Weir's disappearance. How will he react? Who are the people that took her and why? Will she get out of this alive? To receive the next instalment you know what to do - leave a review. Don't be shy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

If you've made it to chapter 4 and haven't left a review yet then please do, I'd love to hear from you. For those who've been waiting patiently for the next instalment I have only one thing to say. Real life. Need I say more. I promise that Chapter 5 is on the drafting board but with Christmas coming fast, I'll make no promises about its completion.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 4**

Awareness came back slowly. First there was the insistent pounding in her head of a hundred angry horses stampeding. Then if that didn't make her feel bad enough there was the nausea threatening to engulf her. Her eyelids rebelled at her attempts to open them. She was tempted to give in and allow herself to slide back into oblivion until she heard a groan coming from her left. _Who was that?_ She wished that her head would stop pounding so that she could think straight. _Did I bring someone back to my room?_ Her muddled thoughts drifted back to the previous night and the dinner with Doctor Sol Harneg. _I only had one glass, I can__'__t be drunk, can I?_ Her mind drifted to the next thought. _God, I didn__'__t let Sol come back to my quarters, did I?_ She shuddered at that thought and knew she should open her eyes to find out but the thought that she may have done something she would regret scared her.

She heard the groan again and forced her eyes open. Her own groan slipped past her lips as the bright daylight upped the ante on her throbbing head. She quickly slammed her eyes shut against its harshness. She knew she should open her eyes again. She had to know who was in her room with her. She remembered going to bed the night before and was sure she'd been alone. She shielded her eyes with her hand as she slid her eyes back open and turned her head to the left ignoring the effect the movement had on her nausea as best she could.

Her eyes widened at the sight before her. "Lieutenant Jenkins?"

His face turned towards her, as pale as she suspected her own was.

"What are you..." she stopped as her surroundings finally registered and she realised she was no longer laying in the bed in her quarters at the encampment. "What the...". Words were failing her as she tried to understand what had happened.

She looked across at Jenkins again to see him attempting to sit up. Through sheer determination he succeeded shortly before turning away as he lost the battle with his stomach. Elizabeth nearly followed suit in sympathy. "You okay, Lieutenant?"

"Think so, ma'am." replied Jenkins.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure, ma'am." replied Jenkins, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve. "I remember being on watch and hearing something. I checked it out but I couldn't see anything, thought it must've been an animal or my imagination. Guess it wasn't no animal."

"Guess not." Elizabeth carefully pulled herself into a sitting position and took in the room around her. She spotted a prone figure a few feet away laying face down, wearing an Atlantis uniform. "Major Lorne?" Her attention moved to the others beyond him. Some stirring, some still unconscious. She recognised some of them as the Dalerian historians from the encampment. All looked like she felt. "Whatever happened, Lieutenant, it appears that they took everyone at the encampment."

She moved over to Major Lorne's side. His eyes were still closed and he showed no sign of stirring. "Lieutenant, give me a hand with the Major."

"Yes, ma'am"

They rolled Major Lorne onto his back revealing the dried blood down one side of his face and the dark bruise forming near his hairline. Jenkins touched his fingers to his CO's throat. "He's alive. Pulse is strong."

"Good. Do what you can for him, I'll check the others." She pushed herself upright groaning as the movement reminded her of her headache.

"Ma'am? Where are Clarke and Wilson?"

Weir looked around the group but couldn't see either man. "I don't know, Lieutenant. Let's hope that they managed to avoid capture." Despite the confidence she tried to instil into her words she feared that their absence indicated something far worse.

Jenkins returned his attention to his CO and did what he could to make him comfortable. Weir moved amongst the others finding that were all recovering from the effects of whatever drug they had been given. She found Doctor Harneg propped up in the corner of the room, his head buried in his hands. Squatting down next to him she put a hand on his arm to attract his attention.

"Are you okay?" asked Weir.

Harneg lifted his head to look at her, his happy disposition from the night before gone as if it never existed. "It is I that should be asking you that question. I trust I am not the only one that feels as if too much Jenai wine has been consumed."

"I only wish that were the case, Doctor." replied Weir. "Do you know what happened last night?"

"I have no memory beyond settling into my quarters for the evening. I assume that you know of nothing different"

Weir nodded as she looked around the room again. "Two of my men are absent. I only hope they got away and raised the alarm but other than that, no, I know nothing more than you."

"I am sure that Councillor Brille will ensure that we are quickly found. He is most keen to make a good impression on the people of Lantea. You provide our best hope for solving the mysteries of the Ancient legends."

ooOoo

A gentle wind blew through the encampment by the old Ancient city, stirring the dust into small eddies as it swirled between the tents and pushed against the loose flaps. Maybe it was the breeze that caused him to stir. Or maybe it was the dust it blew into his face. He used his hand to shelter from it as he cracked open his eyes to slits. A groan escaped his lips as the brightness of the day stung his eyes, spiking the pain in his head. He lay still for a moment, listening for the sounds of movement around him and finding none. Only the sound of canvas snapping in the breeze could be heard.

Sargeant Clarke pushed himself into a sitting position, steadying himself against a dizzy spell that did nothing to quell the sensations in his stomach. He rubbed at his head trying to clear his scattered thoughts. He remembered the stinging sensation. Remembered grabbing at his neck and finding the dart stuck in his skin. His instincts told him something was wrong. Very wrong. He looked at his surroundings but he could only see part of the encampment. But what he saw was... empty. Silent.

Looking towards the sky, he noted the sun's position. It was a couple of hours above the horizon. People should be up and moving about getting breakfast and readying themselves for the day. It should not be silent. And he should not have been lying in the dirt between the tents but he had been. With a sense of urgency, Clarke pushed himself to his feet grabbing for a tent rope when another dizzy spell struck. It was worse this time, bringing with it the nausea and what little of his stomach contents there were. Wiping at his mouth, Clarke pushed himself upright and turned towards the food tent. If anyone remained then he should find them there preparing the breakfast or clearing up. Clarke found the silence unnerving. He reached down for his 9mm wanting to take comfort from the protection that it offered only to find his hand brushing against an empty holster. He checked the ground but his weapon was nowhere to seen. Someone had taken his weapon and left him unconscious. He needed to find out what had happened after he passed out.

He looked into each tent as he went, finding them empty. The bedding had been pulled aside in a hurry but there was no sign of the occupant. No sign of a struggle even. His CO's tent was different. The bedding lay in a tangled heap on the floor along with a 9mm. His CO would never leave without his weapon. Especially not when off-world. He picked up the weapon, checking it. No bullets had been fired. Whatever had happened it had been fast not giving the Major a chance to get a shot at his assailant.

He kicked aside the bedding but found nothing more. No P-90 and no radio. He turned to leave and spotted the reddish-brown discolouration marking the end of the mattress. It felt dry to his fingers but he was sure that it was blood. The thought that his CO had fought their attackers and was possibly injured as a result spurred him on. He turned quickly ignoring the dizziness his movement caused and left the tent continuing on towards the food tent, sure that he would find it just as empty.

His feet caught on something bringing him to his knees. He grunting as the impact sent another spike of pain through his head adding to his misery. He moved to push himself to his feet stopping when his hand brushed against something softer than the surrounding ground. Looking down he saw a leg and the boot he had tripped on. The boot was standard military issue and belonged to his team-mate, Sargeant Pete Wilson. Clarke felt for a pulse and sighed, lowering his head when he found none. He straightened as he buried his emotions, aware that he needed to get back to the Stargate. Atlantis needed to know what had happened, not that he really knew but he could guess.

He pushed back to his feet after removing his friend's dog tags and started towards the Stargate. He figured he could make it in five hours, four if he pushed himself. Reaching the edge of the encampment he paused and studied the terrain, looking for danger. Seeing nothing to alarm him Clarke jogged out into the open, setting a fast pace.

ooOoo

The timber cart slowly worked its way up the rise leading to the Ancient city, its wheels creaking under a full load of supplies. The Dalerian driver sat astride the muscular animal that pulled it along, controlling it with the gentle touch of a long stick. Behind him sat two younger men dressed in the black uniform that marked them as Enforcers.

The cart seemed to hang suspended for a moment at the top of the rise before it began its descent.

"It is as impressive as I expected." remarked the dark-haired man as he stared at the Ancient buildings laid out below them.

His companion spared him a glance before returning his attention to the tented city. "Maran, should not the camp be up and preparing for the day ahead? I can not see any smoke rising from the kitchens."

Maran turned his attention towards the tents. "Curious." A movement on the horizon caught his attention. A lone figure was moving quickly away from the encampment and away from the Ancient city. "Rider, can not this beast go faster?"

"The ride will be rough and uncomfortable, sire." replied the driver.

"I do not care, old man. We must get to the encampment quickly. I fear that something is wrong."

"Yes, sire." replied the old man, flicking the long stick over the animals hind-quarters. The animal uttered a low guttural noise before increasing its speed.

Maran felt himself slip on the wooden seat as the cart bounced over the rough track. He latched onto the side-rail to steady himself and continued to watch the lone figure disappearing over the horizon as he ignored the grunt of complaint from his companion.

Maran jumped down from the cart as it pulled to a stop outside the tent encampment. The silence that greeted him was un-nerving and unnatural. The encampment was home to fifteen of their best historians and their support staff as well as the visiting Lanteans. Someone should have heard their arrival and come to help unload the supplies of food brought in by the regular delivery.

Maran signalled for the driver to remain where he sat. Not waiting for an acknowledgement he entered the encampment followed by his companion. They searched quickly through the tents starting with the closest. It wasn't long before they found the body of the Lantean. One side of his uniform was coated in blood and the insects had already started to buzz around looking for an easy meal.

"Councillor Brille will not be happy with our news."

"No he will not, Garus. Check the sleeping quarters while I check the other tents. "

Maran continued to study the body for a moment, noting the defensive wounds on its hands before pushing himself to his feet and heading for the food tent. He found the body of the camp chef in the kitchen area. Unlike the Lantean, his death had come as a surprise. Blood had pooled around the puncture mark on the side of his throat just behind and below the ear. He reached out and closed the dead man's eyes before turning away and continuing his search. He found two other bodies, both members of the support staff. Both killed in the same way.

Maran stepped back into the sunshine and looked towards the horizon where he had seen the lone figure. He turned back when he heard Garus approaching. The look on the other man's face told him what he needed to know. "Councillor Brille will need to be informed. They have taken only the Lanteans and the historians, butchering those that are of little value to them or too much trouble. You must go back and tell the Councillor what we have seen. The trail is several hours old but he will no doubt send out a tracking team."

"And what will you do?"

Maran looked back towards the horizon. "I will bring back the one that survived the night. The Councillor will wish to speak with him."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Poor Weir, will Lorne regain consciousness and keep her safe? Or will Weir have to protect them both? And what is an Enforcer? And will he manage to catch up with Clarke before he makes it back to the gate and Atlantis? To find out you'll have to wait for the next instalment. You know the drill, if you want more chapters then leave a review with the author. I hear she responds well to all comments and may even write faster knowing that someone out there is actually reading this stuff.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own. And so too was the delay. RL had me travelling the countryside on holidays away from any internet connections. Now I'm back so hope the delays will be shorter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 5**

Garus jumped down from the cart as it slowed on its approach to the village and ran towards the Council building ignoring the heads that turned to follow his path. Without pausing he ran up the steps only slowing when he reached the outer office of Councillor Brille. He took a deep breath. It would not look good with the Councillor if he was not in control of himself.

Garus stepped into the outer office and stopped before the Adjutant's desk. "I must speak with the Councillor immediately."

"He is in a meeting. Can not the matter wait?"

"No. It is most important that I speak with him now. It pertains to the Ancient site and the Lanteans."

The Adjutant studied the young man before him. He wore the dark robes of an Enforcer and the expression on his face indicated his seriousness. He pushed himself from his chair. "I will speak with the Councillor. Remain here."

Moments later the Adjutant reappeared in the doorway. "The Councillor will see you now."

Garus drew in a breath before stepping into the Councillor's chambers. He barely noticed the large door swinging closed behind the Councillor as he moved towards the large table at the far end of the room.

The Councillor rose from his seat and stepped around his desk. "Garus, what news do you bring that could not wait for my meeting to finish?"

ooOoo

Maran crouched down to inspect the shoe prints stamped into the loose dirt, the tread clearly visible. "So you are not a Dalerian but are you a friend? We shall soon find out." He pushed himself upright and spared a quick glance at the empty horizon before he started jogging parallel to the prints.

ooOoo

Clarke jogged up the rise, pausing just before the peak as he checked for danger ahead. So far he had not seen anyone on his journey back to the gate but he didn't allow that to lull him into a false sense of security. Somewhere out there could be the people that had killed Wilson and taken both his team and Doctor Weir.

He washed down a couple of Tylenol to dull the throbbing from his head that was growing worse with the vibrations from the pounding of his feet as he ran. Replacing his canteen he turned to check the way he had come. Movement in the distance caught his eye as a lone figure crested a rise and was silhouetted against the sky for a moment. He didn't wait to see who it was. No-one from his team was coming to his aid. Keeping low he moved over the ridge, only standing once he was far enough down into the valley so as to not be seen.

ooOoo

"This is the work of the Ree-Tan. Only they would dare to steal the very people that are the key to our protection from the Wraith. They will regret their choice," growled Brille.

Garus remained stood before the wooden desk, aware that he had not been dismissed yet.

"Organise a full squad to the Ancient city. I want to know how many Ree-Tan were involved and I want all signs of their presence removed. And tell Maran to bring the individual he saw heading towards the Portal of the Ancestors directly to me, unharmed. I want answers, quickly. It will not do us well for our new allies to know that we cannot keep their people safe."

"Yes, sire," replied Garus.

"And send in my Adjutant as you leave." Brille turned and looked out of the window of his chambers as his thoughts drifted to the Lanteans and their likely reaction should they learn the truth. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and turned to see his Adjutant enter the room. "Tergan, inform the Council members that an urgent matter has arisen and their presence is required forthwith."

"Do you wish that I tell them the essence of the urgent matter, sire?"

Brille studied the face of the man before him wondering whether Tergan had overheard his conversation. He noticed that the man did not flinch under the intense scrutiny whilst waiting for an answer. "You may tell them that it involves the Ree-Tan."

"Yes, sire," replied Tergan.

ooOoo

Clarke stumbled and lost his balance as he ran down the stony slope. He felt the stones tear at the skin on his hands as he tried to slow his slide and regain his feet. His vision blurred as he pulled himself back to his feet. "Not now." He rubbed at his eyes and forced himself on recognising the blurry image of the Stargate in the distance.

He spared a glance behind and noticed that his pursuer had gained on him. Too quickly he feared. He turned his attention back to the Stargate and ran, ignoring the complaints from his body. There would be time to rest later but first he had to get back to Atlantis. Had to tell them about Weir.

He stumbled again barely managing to keep his balance. He knew his legs were tiring and that soon he'd fall and not be able to get up. He could only hope that his pursuer felt the same way. That he too would slow. He risked another look over his shoulder and was startled to see his pursuer had closed the gap further again.

ooOoo

Maran saw the man look back. Saw a pale coloured face surrounded by dark hair briefly before the man turned away again and continued towards his target. He'd seen the man stumble a couple of times and thought the man wasn't going to get up again after his last fall.

The thought crossed Maran's mind that his target might not be one of the attackers but might instead be one of the Lanteans. The man had not shot at him as he might have expected of someone capable of attacking the encampment. He was obviously alone. Surely his people would not have left him behind to be found, unless they had thought him dead. He would soon have his answers as he slowly advanced on his target. It would be close but he was sure he would succeed.

ooOoo

Clarke could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he ran towards the DHD. His lungs burned as they tried to keep up with his body's demand for oxygen but he couldn't stop. Not now he was so close.

He grabbed the edge of the DHD to stop himself from falling and tapped out the address for Atlantis. Not waiting for the gate to complete its dialling, he pushed himself upright and made his way towards the Stargate, ready to send his IDC. His right hand dropped to his 9mm as his eyes scanned the terrain he had just crossed. His pursuer was not visible but he was not so green as to think that meant he was no longer there. He heard the whoosh as the gate established a stable wormhole and quickly punched in his code, already climbing the steps to the gate.

ooOoo

"Shepherd, you're not answering your com. I need you... oh, hi Teyla."

Sheppard looked up from the report he had been reviewing on the laptop with Teyla to see Rodney stood in the doorway.

"Rodney," greeted Teyla. "The Colonel and I were just going over some reports."

"Why wasn't I invited?" asked Rodney.

"You're volunteering to read the reports on the progress of Athosian crops?" queried Sheppard as he leaned back in Weir's chair.

"No." replied Rodney looking suddenly uncomfortable.

"Didn't think so." Sheppard caught Teyla's smile. "What can I do for you, Rodney?"

"I've been studying one of the artefacts brought back by Lorne's team from P23-4XY. It's really fascinating. It has-"

"The point, Rodney?" interrupted Sheppard.

"The point? Oh right. I need you to activate it."

"Cannot Major Lorne provide assistance?" asked Teyla.

"No, said he was training the new recruits." replied Rodney "Come on, Sheppard, it'll only take five minutes. You can read the report later."

Teyla sighed. She could see Rodney's argument had won the Colonel over. "Rodney is correct, Colonel. We can continue with this report later."

"Thanks Teyla."

"Come on Sheppard, we haven't got all day." whined Rodney tipping his head towards the doorway.

"Keep your pants on." replied Sheppard as he rose from Weir's desk and followed Rodney out of the office. "What's the hurry anyway?"

ooOoo

"You're lucky it's not broken, Lieutenant. But it will be sore for a few days, so no more sparring sessions for now. Okay?" asked Keller as she finished wrapping the young marine's wrist tightly.

"Yes, ma'am."

Kellar turned away from her departing patient to find Beckett approaching her.

"Have you seen Colonel Sheppard?"

"No. Should I have?"

"He was supposed to be here half an hour ago for a check-up." Beckett tapped his com link as he walked away.

ooOoo

Sheppard followed the scientist into his lab letting his constant talking wash over him.

"There is a lot of information on this device in the Ancient database. It appears that they considered this object to be an important item. They-"

"What does it do?" interrupted Sheppard.

"I ...um...don't know," replied McKay reluctantly.

"Is it going to blow up in my face?"

"Do you think I would stand this close if I thought it was dangerous?"

Sheppard stared at Rodney in disbelief.

"Okay so I've been wrong before but I'm not this time."

Sheppard turned his attention to the device sitting on the table next to the laptop. _It looks harmless. Hell, so does a grenade to the uninitiated until you pull the pin._ "What are the wires for?"

"Measuring any energy signatures, radio waves, everything I could think of really."

"Okay, as long as it won't blow up." Sheppard picked up the object in his hand.

Rodney turned to his laptop to check the readings, frowning at the lack of output from the device. He adjusted the settings but he still wasn't picking up any readings from the device. He checked each of the connections from the device ignoring the questioning look from Sheppard. But still there was no response from the device.

"Rodney? "

"Just give me a minute." replied Rodney as he continued to reset the connections.

Sheppard sighed and leaned against the bench still holding the object loosely in his hand. The object was likely broken and if he could wait patiently then his friend would realise that too. He just hoped that it wouldn't take too long. To try and distract his boredom he looked at the device in his hand more closely, turning it over until something caught his eye. There were markings on the underside that looked like Ancient but he didn't recognise the words. "What does the writing on this thing say?"

"What are you talking about, there is no writing." replied Rodney.

"What do you mean 'there is no writing'? What's this then?" asked Sheppard holding out the device bottom-side up.

ooOoo

Carson could hear the Colonel's voice as he approached the lab. To his practised ear it sounded like the Colonel was losing patience with someone. Most likely McKay. He stepped into the lab to see McKay reaching out for something in Sheppard's hand.

"You should get Beckett to check your..." started Rodney.

"Rodney? Colonel?" asked Carson staring at the empty space where both men had stood only a moment ago.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no that can't be good. Now John and Rodney have disappeared. Are they okay and where have they gone? And just exactly who are the Ree-Tan? Are they the people who took Weir?

There is only one way to find out. You'll just have to come back for more. You know you want to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 6**

"...eyesight." continued Rodney.

"There's nothing wrong-" Sheppard stopped in his reply and turned at the sound of Beckett's voice. "Beckett? What ..." then he remembered the scheduled check-up and realised he must've missed it. "Sorry. Rodney distracted me."

"Hey, don't blame me," retorted Rodney. "I don't want big needles in my future."

Sheppard watched as Carson continued to look confused, searching the lab with his eyes.

"Aah, crap." Beckett tapped on the radio in his ear. "Teyla, I'm in Rodney's lab. The Colonel and Rodney were here a moment ago but they just...disappeared."

"He can't see us?" queried Rodney.

Sheppard looked down at the device still in his hand and pulled it out from Rodney's hand. He looked back in time to see Carson jump back, startled.

"Where did-" Carson's surprise quickly turned to anger when he saw Sheppard's face and recognised the tiny lines around his eyes that indicated a headache. "Och, you're impossible, lad. Do I have to lock you in the infirmary for you to behave?" He then turned his attention to Rodney. "And you claim to be the smartest man in two galaxies yet you cannae see that the Colonel has a headache, no doubt made worse by trying to operate whatever that thing is." If he wasn't so disappointed with both men he would've laughed as Rodney's mouth opened and shut a couple of times without uttering a word. Instead Carson reached across and put his hand on the device that Sheppard still held.

Rodney straightened as Carson and the Colonel both disappeared from view. "What..."

Sheppard saw Beckett's hand touch the device before he could say anything to stop him and Rodney's look of confusion. He pulled his hand away from the device as he realised the device's purpose.

Rodney pulled back when his friends suddenly re-appeared before him. "Where-"

"It was the device, Rodney." explained Sheppard patiently. "It's a cloak."

"Really? Then why didn't it work the first time you tried?"

Sheppard sighed as he looked at his friend. "Obviously it requires two people with the gene to operate it. I-"

"You two can work it out later. You, Colonel, are coming with me."

Sheppard groaned at that whilst Rodney smirked.

"Don't think you've missed out Rodney, there are needles in your future." The smirk quickly vanished.

Sheppard turned to follow Beckett when he was interrupted by the buzz of his radio. He stopped in his tracks. "Sheppard here."

"We have an unscheduled gate activation, Colonel."

"Any IDC?" asked Sheppard.

"Not yet."

Sheppard knew that only two teams were off-world at the moment and one of them was Major Lorne's team. The other team was Major Henderson, one of the newer members of the expedition and leading a team of her own for the first time. Her team was baby-sitting a group of botanists as they examined the fruit indigenous on an uninhabited planet. Fruit that could help their fresh fruit problem. _Maybe they've run into some of the local fauna._

"It's Sargeant Clarke."

"I'm on my way." replied Sheppard before heading out of the lab and taking the direction towards the gate room. He could hear Beckett hot on his heels obviously keen to keep his recalcitrant patient in sight this time. He knew there could be several reasons other than trouble for Clarke to dial in ahead of schedule but he still couldn't stop himself from worrying about Elizabeth.

His radio buzzed interrupting his thoughts. He tapped his radio as he stepped into the transporter. "Sheppard."

"The gate has shut down again without further contact from Sargeant Clarke."

"Try dialling them," ordered Sheppard. "McKay, Teyla, Ronon meet me in the control room."

"I'm sure it's just a technical problem, Colonel." suggested Carson.

ooOoo

Sheppard arrived in the control room just as the wash from the wormhole establishing shot out from the gate. He was used to it but the sight never grew old. Not even McKay with his scientific explanation had been able to suck the wonder out of gate travel. Only worry for Elizabeth and Major Lorne's team managed to do that.

"Sargeant Clarke this is Sheppard. Report," ordered Sheppard.

Only silence greeted him.

"Major Lorne what's happening?" asked Sheppard aware that all eyes were either on him or the gate. "Elizabeth, anyone please respond." After more silence he turned to Chuck. "Are you sure the radio's working?"

"I'll run a diagnostic."

Sheppard watched Chuck as he waited. He was aware that Beckett was watching him and he wondered whether he was hiding his concerns for Elizabeth's safety as well as he thought he was. _Probably not._

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his team. McKay reached them first making straight for the console and checking Chuck's work.

"Radio's working fine, Colonel." stated Chuck.

McKay turned to face Sheppard and nodded his agreement. "What he said."

Sheppard continued to stare at the gate until it shut down moments later.

"Maybe there was a malfunction on their end," stated Rodney.

Sheppard looked across at his friend to see his own worries reflected in Rodney's face.

"You're right," replied Rodney to Sheppard's unspoken words.

Teyla glanced at the closed gate as she entered the gate room and ran up the stairs to the control room with Ronon hot on her heels. She noted the expression on Rodney's face and knew it wasn't good news. She turned her attention to Sheppard noting his tiredness and the tell tale signs that he was in pain. She could see Dr Beckett hovering behind him anxiously. "What is going on, Colonel?"

"That's what I intend to find out. Gear up guys. We're paying a visit to Daleria." replied Sheppard.

"You're not going anywhere, son." stated Beckett.

"Why?" asked Ronon.

"Because the Colonel isn't-" started Beckett.

"No. Why visit Daleria?" asked Ronon.

"We've lost radio contact with Major Lorne's team," replied Sheppard.

Rodney felt the need to explain further. "Sargeant Clarke dialled in but he didn't come through and there was no response to our radio calls."

"Do you suspect the Dalerians are responsible?" asked Teyla.

"It wouldn't be the first time that we've been betrayed," replied Sheppard.

Sadly Teyla knew he was right. They had been betrayed more than once by people they had befriended on other worlds. She also remembered Dr Weir's words on this alliance before she agreed to the terms that Sheppard had negotiated on her behalf. It would not be right to assume that the Dalerians were behind whatever had happened. They too could be victims and in need of help.

"Perhaps Ronon and I should visit Daleria. They do not know us and will not know that we are from Atlantis. We can determine what has happened to Dr Weir and Major Lorne's team without causing concern to the Dalerians or to the trade agreement." Teyla watched Sheppard as she spoke and noticed his reluctance.

So did Beckett. He knew Elizabeth loved Sheppard and he suspected that the reverse was probably true. He hoped Sheppard would listen to Teyla and not force him to use his medical authority to override him. "You're in no fit state to be going off-world." reminded Beckett.

Sheppard looked around his team and stopped at Ronon who hadn't said a word.

Ronon returned the look. "They're both right."

Sheppard didn't like the situation but he had to agree with Teyla. He didn't know whether the Dalerians were involved and they couldn't afford to jeopardise the trade agreement that they had with these people. He knew, deep down, that Elizabeth would agree with Teyla's suggestion and found himself nodding. "Okay. Teyla, Ronon, pay the Dalerians a visit but be careful."

"We will." replied Teyla.

Teyla and Ronon left to get ready for their mission leaving Sheppard standing in the control room, his eyes drifting back to stare at the gate.

Beckett placed a hand on Sheppard's shoulder feeling the tense muscles, "Come on, lad. Time for your check-up and some rest. Rodney will call you if there is some news."

"I will?" responded Rodney as he realised that, with Teyla going off-world and Beckett claiming Sheppard, he was now effectively in charge. He straightened and replied "Yes. I will."

Sheppard let himself be led away to the infirmary by Beckett. He still wasn't happy that he wasn't going to Daleria with Teyla and Ronon. He knew his team were good and he could trust them to look after themselves. He also knew that they would do everything in their power to make sure that Elizabeth was safe but he still couldn't stop that niggling feeling. His 'spidey sense' as McKay called it, that told him something was seriously wrong on Daleria. Maybe it was just the Pegasus Galaxy effect. Here every missed communication was likely a result of a Wraith attack or some other equally deadly event rather than a simple equipment failure. Just once he'd like it to be the latter.

ooOoo

Elizabeth rubbed her hands on her arms, trying to warm her chilled skin as she paced the room they were being held in. She already knew how many paces it was from one side to the other having paced her current path so many times. It felt like more than a day had passed since she regained consciousness. But she knew boredom and worry could make the time drag. Still she could tell from the change in light coming through the narrow windows near the top of the wall, that the sun had moved some distance since her awakening. Several hours had definitely passed. All she knew was that they had not seen their kidnappers since they had left the Ancient ruins. She wondered why they had been taken and by whom. Were they Dalerian criminals? Or were they from another planet?

"Dr Weir, you're making me dizzy."

Elizabeth stopped pacing and crouched by Lorne's side. "How are you doing, Major?"

"About the same." replied Lorne.

She studied his face to see whether he was telling the truth. She recognised the symptoms of concussion as his eyes could not focus on her. _At least the bleeding has stopped._ She rested a hand on his shoulder before replying, "At least you didn't say 'Fine'. I think Colonel Sheppard is rubbing off on you."

"He'll find us," stated Lorne.

"He doesn't even know we're missing yet, unless Sargeant Clarke or Wilson managed to get away and back to the stargate."

"He will. Whoever is responsible took us for a reason. So far they haven't questioned us or hurt us-" He saw Elizabeth open her mouth to protest and continued "-any further. There must be a reason. Either they are waiting on someone or they are using us to bargain with. If it's the latter then we may have time on our side. If we don't then we'll just have to find our own way out."

Elizabeth knew a pep talk when she heard one but most of what he said had made sense. However she doubted their ability to make their own escape. How could a group of historians, a diplomat, and two soldiers manage to take on a group of armed men? Especially since they were unarmed and one of the soldiers was badly injured. "Hopefully it won't come to that. Try to get some rest, Major."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Will Teyla and Ronon learn what happened to Elizabeth and Lorne's team? Or will they walk into trouble on Daleria? Can his team really keep Sheppard on Atlantis while the woman he cares about is missing? If you liked this instalment then drop a line and let me know. If you didn't then – you guessed it – drop me a line and let me know. Reviews feed the muse and my muse has a big appetite.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 7**

Ronon was already waiting in the gate room with a squad of marines. It didn't take him long to prepare for an off-world mission. His weapons were always clean and ready to go. A lesson that his training as a Specialist on Sateda had taught him and life as a Runner had reinforced. Now they lay hidden about his body ready for use.

He sensed rather than heard Teyla's arrival in the gate room and looked up to see her enter the room wearing her Athosian clothes. To anyone that didn't know her they would be fooled by her size and her apparent lack of weapons but Ronon knew better. He knew she carried a knife strapped to her calf beneath the brown leathers that she wore and he had seen her win a battle with a Wraith using nothing more than branch as a fighting stick. What she lacked in size she made up for in strategy and determination. _A true warrior._

"I am ready," stated Teyla. "Is the Colonel not seeing us off?"

"Beckett hauled him off to the infirmary. He's probably under lock and key by now." replied Rodney as he came down the steps from the control room to join them. "He missed his check-up this morning."

Ronon heard the sound of several pairs of military boots as they approached and turned to see Lieutenant Paxton enter the gate room in full kit, followed closely by his team.

"I thought we were going alone," stated Ronon.

"You are," replied Rodney. "Sheppard thought you could use some back-up in case you found trouble waiting for you at the Dalerian gate."

"My men are ready to come through if there is any trouble on Daleria. We'll keep the gate open until you give us the all clear," added Lieutenant Paxton.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Let us hope that your team are not needed," replied Teyla before turning back to face the gate.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Paxton.

"Dial the gate." called Ronon.

ooOoo

Teyla and Ronon stepped from gate into the late afternoon sun alert for trouble. Their eyes swept the area, searching for any sign of danger. Any sign of Sargeant Clarke and Major Lorne's team. She continued to watch their surroundings as Ronon bent down to study a patch of dirt near the DHD. Teyla noticed how peaceful it appeared to be with the sound of birdsong carrying across the grassy field from a nearby stand of trees. She studied the trees, looking for any sign of a hidden enemy but saw none. She breathed deeply and noticed that the warm air was filled with the sweet perfume from the wildflowers.

"Anything?" asked Teyla never taking her eyes from the horizon.

"Two sets of footprints. One wearing standard issue boots. They fought." replied Ronon. "The attacker took off carrying something heavy." Ronon stood and looked at Teyla. "Towards the village."

Teyla tapped her radio. "There are signs of a scuffle but no signs of Sargeant Clarke. It appears that he was taken towards the village. Ronon and I are headed there now. You may close the gate, Dr McKay."

"Be careful." replied Rodney as he signalled to Lieutenant Paxton to stand down. He turned away from the gate as it shut down. "I'll be in my lab." He headed out of the gate room before anyone could say anything further to him. He knew he was being a coward, running away to hide in his lab but he needed to try and keep his mind occupied. He knew Sheppard was concerned for the safety of Elizabeth and Major Lorne's team. _Hell, we all are._ Things had a bad habit of going south very quickly in the Pegasus galaxy and he knew he was ill equipped to deal with matters that didn't involve science. And waiting was the worst. If he didn't distract himself somehow he just knew he would spend the time worrying.

ooOoo

Garius watched as the squad of Enforcers finalised their preparations before heading out towards the Ancient ruins. He was glad that he had not been ordered to join them. It would be an unpleasant task cleaning up the dead bodies and one that he doubted he could stomach. The warm spring day would only make the task even more unpleasant than normal. No, he was glad that he had missed that assignment.

His eyes drifted towards the horizon as movement caught his attention. He came to full alert as he recognised the body movements as those of his partner, Maran. He was still some distance away but it was clear from the way he moved that what he carried over his shoulder was heavy. "He caught the escapee."

"Squadmaster Toran, once your men and equipment are loaded make your way to the Ancient ruins with haste." ordered Garius.

"Yes, Overmaster." replied Toran. He had long grown used to taking orders from those younger than himself. Some had earned the early rise to the position of Overmaster. Others hadn't. He rather suspected that Garius had risen to his current role as a family favour granted by the Councillor himself. He watched as the young man headed towards the figure on the horizon wondering how long he would last against the Ree-Tan if an all out war started. He doubted it would be long. He turned back to his task and noted that the men had finished loading their equipment and were waiting for instructions. "Move on out, men."

ooOoo

Garius ignored the squad as he heard them move out behind him. He knew well what many of the Squadmasters thought of him. What they muttered behind his back when they thought he could not hear them. He knew they thought he would fail in a battle against the Ree-Tan. He planned to prove them wrong. He didn't know how but he was determined he would.

He picked up his pace as he jogged towards the figure in the distance. It was now six moon cycles since the day he had been assigned to partner Maran. A partnership he was sure he had earned more through his family connections rather than his future prospects. He had expected the same disdain from Maran as he received from the other Enforcers and had been surprised when he wasn't. He was just as determined to prove Maran's trust in him was not misplaced.

"Maran!" Garius watched as his partner looked up and nearly stumbled. He realised that Maran wore the look of an exhausted but determined man. He broke into a run and quickly closed the distance. "Let me take him. You have carried him far enough, Maran."

Maran saw the determination on Garius' face and nodded. "You may carry him the rest of the way."

Garius noted the clothing of the stranger as he lifted him over his shoulder. "He is not Ree-Tan."

"He is not. He is one of the Lanteans. Have you spoken with the Councillor?"

Garius shifted the weight on his shoulder before falling in beside Maran as they started toward the village. "I did. He ordered a squad to the ruins to remove the evidence of the attack. And to determine how many Ree-Tan were involved."

"It would not take that many to carry out a surprise attack. What else did he say?"

"He wants the Lantean brought to him immediately. He does not want them to learn about what has happened."

"He will not be happy then," replied Maran with a sigh ignoring the puzzled look Garius was throwing him.

ooOoo

Councillor Brille looked into the cell at the unconscious Lantean. "Did he manage to send a message to the Lanteans?"

"No,sire," replied Maran. "The Portal of the Ancestors was open but he did not have time to send a message. Of that I am sure."

Brille turned away from the prisoner to face Maran. "I hope that you are right, Maran. Let me know when he wakens."

"Yes, sire," replied Maran.

After the Councillor left, Garius moved to stand beside Maran and looked in on the prisoner. "What do you think will happen to him?"

Maran turned away from studying the Lantean to look at his partner. "He will be questioned. "

ooOoo

Councillor Brille entered the meeting room to find the other five councillors already seated around the table talking amongst themselves. They stopped their chatter and turned their attention to Brille as he walked the length of the room and stood at the head of the table.

"Members of the Council, an urgent matter has arisen that threatens the safety of all Dalerians." Brille paused and looked around at the faces watching him and saw that he had their undivided attention.

"During the night the Ree-Tan attacked our people at the Ancestral ruins. They have taken the historians and the Lanteans. Those that had no value to them, they left dead. Including women."

"Are we sure it was the Ree-Tan and not the Lanteans that took our people?" asked Councillor Magan.

"I am sure. Among the many dead was one of the Lantean enforcers, another sits in one of our cells unconscious. I do not believe that they would kill one of their own or leave another behind to be questioned if the Lanteans were behind this," replied Brille.

"The Ree-Tan have indeed grown bold to come so far into our lands," added Councillor Tron.

"Did I not say that it was a risk to leave these historians and Lanteans unguarded?" asked Councillor Hogart his anger evident.

"And what reason would we have given that would not have raised the suspicions of the Lanteans? There was no reason to suspect an attack. The Ree-Tan have always been afraid of our superior weapons and the Great Wall has kept them from our lands," replied Tora.

"Their actions only support our need to find this weapon that the legends speak of. We must rid ourselves of the threat from the Ree-Tan," stated Hogart.

"I agree, Hogart, but without the Ancient weapon we do not have the means to rid ourselves of them quickly. The Lanteans do not know that their people have been taken," replied Brille.

"Would they not help us in a rescue? Should we not ask them?" asked Garod.

"The risk is too great. We cannot allow them to learn of the Ree-Tan or of our plans with the weapon. If they knew the truth I would doubt that they would help us at all. It is better if we mount our own rescue and have the Lanteans die in an unfortunate accident," replied Brille.

"I agree. The Ree-Tan have no doubt been filling the ears of the Lanteans with stories of the Great War. We cannot risk any Lanteans being rescued alive," added Magan.

"Agreed," added Tora. "We must move swiftly before the Lanteans become aware that their people have been taken."

Brille looked to the door at the sound of a knock. "Enter." He continued to watch as Maran stepped into the room and approached him.

"The Lantean is conscious, sire."

"Good. I'll be there in a moment, prepare him for questioning."

"Yes, sire"

Brille turned his attention back to the council members. "Organise your men. I want an attack force ready to move once I have questioned the prisoner. We meet again in two hours."

ooOoo

Lorne rested his throbbing head against the wall. He would give almost anything for some of Carson's painkillers but he couldn't see that happening anytime soon. Instead he tried to distract himself by studying the faces of the people sharing his cell. The historians sat as a group along the opposite wall, unconsciously separating themselves from the Lanteans. Most were slumped against the walls, worn out by the fear of the unknown. He paused when his eyes fell on the lead historian, Sol Harneg. The man looked tired and fearful like the others but his eyes kept darting across to look at the Weir. Lorne glanced at the woman sat by his side and noted that she was unaware of the historian's attention.

"Doctor, does Harneg seem nervous to you?" asked Lorne.

Weir looked across the room at the Harneg and saw the man looking at her before quickly diverting his eyes. "Maybe he feels guilty, Major."

"Maybe. Or maybe he knows who attacked us and why."

Weir turned to face Lorne, "You think he lied to us."

"I think he was economical with the truth. He said he didn't see who attacked us that doesn't mean he doesn't know, or suspect, who was responsible."

Weir returned her attention to the historians and caught Harneg turning away from watching her again. _Maybe Lorne is right but why would that make Harneg nervous._ "And you think he's afraid we'll find out?"

"I do," replied Lorne. "And I think I should have a chat with him." Lorne pushed himself to his feet reaching out a hand to steady himself against the wall.

Weir stood and put a hand on his arm. "You need to rest, Major."

Before Lorne could respond he heard the sound of voices approaching. A glance at Weir showed that she had heard the sound also. "Maybe we're about to find out for ourselves."

Moments later they heard the bolt being drawn back. Lorne took a step forward placing himself between the door and Weir. Lieutenant Jenkins noticed and moved to place himself beside his CO just as the door swung into the room and they got there first glimpse of their captors.

A large man dressed in leathers and cloth, not unlike the Athosians, stepped into the room and looked around at the occupants. Lorne looked over the man's shoulder and noticed at least two more men, both armed, waiting outside. He turned his attention back to the large man and found himself under scrutiny.

"You wear different clothing from the Dalerians. Who are you?"

"Major Lorne. And you are?"

"I am Jaymar of the Ree-Tan, true leader of this planet." replied Jaymar. "What world are you from?"

"Why have you taken us hostage?" countered Lorne.

"You will learn that I am not a patient man. Answer the question, what world are you from?"

Lorne remained silent.

Jaymar snapped his arm up and punched Lorne solidly in the stomach, sending the smaller man to the ground. "You will learn to answer my questions or suffer the punishment." Jaymar's attention switched to Weir as he noticed her stood behind Lorne. Weir held his gaze determined to not show him her fear. Jaymar continued to watch her. "Bring the woman. Maybe you will be more willing to answer my questions."

Lorne moved to stand as the other two men entered the room. Jaymar saw the movement, kicking Lorne and sending him back to the floor.

"You would do well to worry about your own skin." stated Jaymar as he returned his attention to Lorne.

Weir noticed the concern on Lorne's face as the two guards grabbed her by the arms and started to drag her from the room. She saw Jenkins step forward to defend her as Lorne had done but she knew if they had any hope of escape they needed to bide their time. She shook her head and he stepped back. One injured soldier was one too many. If both were hurt their chances of escape would reduce further. She would have to fight her own battles with the Ree-Tan.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear, things are getting worse! Weir could really do with Sheppard's help right now. Will Teyla and Ronon find her in time? Will they find out about Sargeant Clarke being held by the Dalerians? And why did the Ree-Tan take the historians hostage? If you want to know the answer to these questions then you'll just have to read the next instalment. To receive the next instalment you know what to do - leave a review. Don't be shy. And don't forget registering for a Story Alert means that you won't miss the release of the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 8**

Jenkins knelt down beside Lorne to check his latest injuries.

"I'm okay Lieutenant. Just a little bruised."

"If you say so sir," replied Jenkins.

Lorne ignored the sarcasm directed his way. He knew he wasn't fighting fit but he was damned if he would admit it to anyone else. Dr Weir was right. Sheppard was rubbing off on him. The thought of Weir brought back his concerns for her safety and the promise he had made to his CO. A promise that was proving hard to keep. He pushed himself upright conscious of Jenkins hovering near his elbow, ready to catch him should he stumble. The room still spun whenever he moved too quickly and he suspected that Carson would have something to say about him moving about with a concussion.

He looked across at the Dalerian historians and noticed Harneg looking away quickly. Again. "I take it you know who these Ree-Tan are Doctor?"

Harneg's posture no longer reflected the tall, confident man that they had met shortly after their arrival as he sat slumped against the wall. His silence only added to the air of defeat that clung to his shoulders. Lorne could see that Harneg was lost in his own world and unlikely to be of much help.

"Do you all know?" asked Lorne as he cast his eyes over the other historians. None held his eye contact as he studied them. "What are you all so scared of us finding out about?" Lorne paused hoping that one of the historians would decide to tell him but none did. They continued to study the floor at their feet. All except one man who turned his attention to Harneg.

Lorne kept his attention on this man as he continued, "Maybe the Ree-Tan will be more forthcoming."

The man Lorne had been watching turned his attention from Harneg to the Lanteans with a sigh. "I will tell you."

"No Maris. You cannot," snapped Harneg, his angry eyes now on his colleague. "They will not understand. They will condemn us just as the Ree-Tan do."

"That may be. Would you rather they learn the information from our enemy?" replied Maris.

Lorne followed the exchange between the historians with growing concern. Why couldn't they find a planet whose people had no guilty secrets?

ooOoo

Brille stepped from the Council chambers and headed towards the nearby barracks. His thoughts drifted back to the Council meeting and the reaction of his fellow Councillors to the news of the attack. Not so long ago they had all been against his plans to wipe-out every living Ree-Tan. He had never thought that it would be the Ree-Tan themselves that would play an instrumental part in their own downfall with such a brutal and audacious attack. If only he'd had the authority to deal with the problem in his days as an Enforcer but the Council had been unwilling to treat the threat with the response it deserved. They were all too happy to build a great wall to keep the enemy at bay and hope the problem never returned as he knew it would. His solution was simple and much more effective. Wipe out the Ree-Tan and the threat would be gone. Permanently.

To achieve his goal had required patience on his part. He knew the Council would never listen to an Overmaster instead of the Chief Master, commander of all the Enforcer squads. So he kept his place and started working his way through the ranks, garnering the loyalty of the Enforcer squads as he went. Finally he had been given the role of Chief Master by the Council. Now they would listen to him. They would not dare otherwise knowing that he had the complete and obedient loyalty of the squads. He knew that they would follow his orders. Even against the Council. When he demanded a seat on the Council they had no choice but to capitulate. And now, after many years, he finally had them on his side.

Brille's thoughts returned to the matter at hand as he arrived at the barracks. He nodded to the Duty Guard as he passed through the gate and turned to his right following the path to the interrogation room. It was a pity that the Lanteans had not completed their translations before the attack. He felt sure that the texts held the secret to entering the great building that housed the legendary weapon.

The interrogation building came into view as he turned the corner. It stood isolated from the main buildings by an open courtyard area designed to prevent captives from making an escape. And none ever had. The only way out or into the windowless stone building was through the single wooden door. And even that path was futile as the door was guarded by two fully armed Enforcers. Maran paced nearby, waiting to start the interrogation.

ooOoo

Clarke struggled to open his eyes against the harsh light as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed mercilessly almost masking the dull ache coming from his shoulders. He tried to shift position in a bid to relieve his discomfit only to find that something was restraining him. Something above him. Tilting his head upwards he spotted the chain that held him upright. _What the hell happened?_ _Where am I?_ One look at his surroundings confirmed his suspicions that he was in a cell. Stone walls surrounded him and a solitary door stood at one end of the room. Twisting as far as the chain would allow revealed more stone walling behind him. Wherever he was, he knew he wasn't among friends.

He tried to remember what had happened. Disjointed images of the Stargate and a man he didn't recognise in a black uniform following him, flashed through his thoughts. But who was the man and why did his head ache so abominably.

Slowly the reason for his trek to the Stargate became clear as the memories of the encampment beside the Ancient ruins returned. Images of a dead team-mate and the empty tents of the others returned along with the realisation that he had failed to get a message to Atlantis that their leader had been kidnapped.

The sound of a latch being lifted broke the silence and drew his eyes to the door as it swung into the room revealing a familiar face, confirming for him just how screwed he really was.

Brille entered the room and stood in front of him. "I see I need no introductions."

"Where are the others?" asked Clarke as he spotted the man from his memories stepping into the room behind Brille.

"I do not have them," replied Brille "But I see that you do not believe me. Never mind it does not matter."

Brille started to pace back and forth in front of him. "What does matter is what your people will do when they learn that Dr Weir and the others were taken by the Wraith."

"_Wraith_? There were no Wraith," replied Clarke.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Brille "Did you see your attackers?"

"If it was the Wraith then I'd be a withered husk or held within one of their Hive ships. I wouldn't be a prisoner in a Dalerian cell. And none of the bodies were withered. There were no Wraith."

"You make a good point," stated Brille.

Clarke didn't understand why the Dalerians were holding him prisoner if they did not have the rest of his team. It made no sense. The Dalerians had been excited to meet a race that could read the Ancient texts and Doctor Weir had been keen to provide assistance in return for food. "My people will send someone to find us and then you will regret this."

"Will I indeed? Your people do not yet know of your fate. Maran tells me that you did not get a message to those that you dialled. They will not know that their portal was activated from Daleria."

Clarke looked back to Maran. He realised the Dalerians did not know about the IDC device and he could not let them learn of it.

"I've said all I'm going to," replied Clarke.

"I doubt that. Maran can be very persuasive." replied Brille turning away to stand behind Maran.

Clarke studied the man before him. Dark eyes stared back at him matching the darkness of the man's hair and clothing. He remembered the weight of the man slamming into him from behind as he finished entering his IDC at the gate. He had no doubt that Maran could inflict serious damage.

"It is still two cycles before your people will be missed. You need not share their fate if you tell me what I need to know." stated Brille as he started to pace again. "I do not ask much in return for your life." Brille stopped again this time on the other side of Maran. "Tell me. Other than your firearms what weapons do your people have?"

Clarke remained silent. He saw Brille nod his head moments before his side exploded in pain, leaving him gasping for air.

"You will answer me!" demanded Brille. "What weapons do your people have?"

"Why do you want to know if you did not take my team hostage?" asked Clarke between gasps.

"I ask the questions." replied Brille. "What weapons do your people possess?"

ooOoo

Teyla and Ronon stopped at the edge of the woods, out of sight from any field workers who may still be working the farm lands heavy with ripening crops. Shadows stretched before them as the evening rapidly approached and thin tendrils of smoke could be seen rising from a farmhouse on the far horizon. Teyla scanned the fields and noted the absence of any field workers.

"See anything?" asked Ronon.

"I do not," replied Teyla.

"Then why are we stopped?"

"It is unusual for farmers to end their work day while there is still light and the crop is ripe for harvest." replied Teyla.

Ronon glanced over his shoulder. He could see the shallow angle of the sun's rays cutting through the trees and catching the dust in the air. The sun would set within the hour but, with no clouds in the sky, the dusk would last longer giving any farmer enough time to return home.

"Maybe it is nothing." stated Teyla.

"Maybe."

Teyla stepped out from the shadows and back onto the path, barely hearing Ronon's footsteps as he followed her. She knew they still had another hour of walking through the farm lands before they reached the outskirts of the village. It would be a further hour before they reached the Council Chambers. She knew it was unlikely that the Councillor would still be in the Council buildings by the time they arrived so they would need to find someone who could direct them to him. Possibly at the tavern SGA-6 had mentioned in their mission report. She hoped that the Councillor would not make them wait until morning before speaking with them. She doubted that Sheppard would let Carson keep him on Atlantis for that long. Not while Elizabeth was missing. She knew he would do whatever it took to find Elizabeth and bring her home.

ooOoo

Rough hands held Elizabeth's arms painfully tight as they followed Jaymar away from the cell where she had been held with the others. She could see several more buildings built from similar materials, and some similar in size, before the bend in the path blocked her view. They looked very different from the elegant buildings that she had seen in Councillor Brille's village. These were plain and appeared to be built from mud and stone. Few men moved between the buildings and even fewer women. All were dressed similar to Jaymar and none paid her any heed. She spotted two men as they came around the corner. They were both armed and appeared more alert than the others she had seen. Their actions reminded her of the way Sheppard behaved when off-world. Always on alert for trouble. _The armed men must be on patrol. But are they guarding against attack or against escape?_ She remembered Jaymar's words claiming that he was the rightful leader of the planet and suspected that it was the former. If she was right then it did not bode well that she had been helping the Dalerians. No matter how ignorant she claimed to be. In his eyes she was guilty of helping the enemy.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she was pulled to a halt. They had arrived at their destination. The building looked like all the others until the door opened and she caught sight of the interior. She felt her stomach muscles tighten as she recognised the building's purpose. Inside she could see the long table stretching across the back wall behind the single chair that sat in the middle of the room. The objects on the table were unfamiliar but the straps on the chair weren't. This building served one purpose only. A torture chamber and she was about to experience it firsthand.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no, she's done it again! She's left Elizabeth alone and in mortal danger. How could she do this? An evil laugh can be heard in the distance followed by an odd thumping noise. Wasn't me folks. It was one of those evil plot bunnies. Blame them not me. I'm just an innocent hostage like Weir. So do you like the story so far? Drop me a line and let me know. That little button at the bottom of the screen doesn't bite and nor do I. Give Elizabeth your support to help her through this difficult time while she awaits her fate; protest to her captors if you like – it might make a difference to how they treat her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 9**

Rodney entered the infirmary and headed straight for the bed in the back corner. Sheppard's bed. Carson had informed him, over the radio that Sheppard would be spending some quality time in the infirmary, again. Drugged to the gills, thanks to him and the Ancient device that he and Sheppard had triggered earlier that day. _It wasn't like I twisted his arm._

Rodney stopped at the end of Sheppard's bed and studied the sleeping man. Carson was right, he should've seen the signs. The lines around the eyes and the tightened jaw muscles, both absent now thanks to Carson's arsenal of pain medication. He turned at the sound of footsteps to see Carson approach. "He's okay?"

"Aye, Rodney. He just needs a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and he wasn't likely to get that after that blasted device turned his headache into a full blown migraine." Carson looked from his patient to the contrite man stood next to him. He knew Rodney hadn't meant to make matters worse for his best friend. "Any word from Teyla and Ronon?"

"Not yet," replied Rodney, "It will take them another two hours just to reach the village."

"Plenty of time for you to eat and get some rest then, instead of moping around here." stated Carson.

Rodney looked back at the man that had surprisingly become his best friend since that first day in Antarctica. A friend that he'd nearly lost a few weeks ago. Now two more were off-world searching for clues to another friend's whereabouts. They had to find her. Atlantis would never be the same without her and he knew nor would be Sheppard. The man would blame himself for not being there to protect her just as he had blamed himself for Ford. Hopefully it would not come to that. Hopefully this time they would find her and bring her back to Atlantis.

"Go, Rodney," reminded Carson.

"I'm going, I'm going. Keep your pants on." retorted Rodney as turned and left the infirmary.

ooOoo

The sun had set some time ago, leaving them to find their way along the unfamiliar road in darkness, with only the occasional spill of light escaping from a window to guide them as they made their way through the village streets. Teyla looked relaxed as she led the way but Ronon knew her too well to believe that. He followed her as he kept an eye on their surroundings looking for any signs of danger. He knew just how much could hide beneath the thin veil of civility; had seen it time and time again in his time as a runner. So much so that he had come to expect it wherever he travelled, never letting his guard down until he'd run into the Lanteans. Doctor Weir had been wary of him at first but she had allowed him to stay and join Sheppard's team. She had given him a home, a new family and hope. For that he'd do whatever he could to bring her safely back to Atlantis.

Teyla sensed the determination felt by her Satedan friend and shared it. Doctor Weir had accepted the unexpected arrival of her people in Atlantis and allowed Colonel Sheppard to lead a rescue team that saved her and many others from the Wraith. For that she would be ever grateful. Now her people had a chance to lead a relatively safe life on the mainland under the protection of Atlantis. She had the chance to put her fighting skills to use against the Wraith and anyone else who threatened the lives of her people. Only now she included the Lanteans and Doctor Weir in their number.

Teyla returned her thoughts to the present. She could not allow herself to be distracted whilst she had a mission to complete. Her attention was caught by the sound of many feet approaching. So far they had seen few villagers on the streets since the sun had fallen. Most were in their homes enjoying a meal. The sweet aromas drifting on the gentle breeze along with the scent of wood smoke from the cooking fires, tantalising her taste buds as it reminded her of her own hunger.

She moved deeper into the shadows and sensed Ronon doing the same. She didn't have to wait long before she saw the men enter the main street from a nearby laneway. She counted eight of them as they rounded the corner and passed within metres of their hiding spot. All were dressed in the same dark clothes and all were armed.

"We should follow them," stated Ronon.

"I agree," replied Teyla.

They kept to the shadows and followed at a distance as the men continued to march towards the village centre. Further up the street a door opened and light spilled out onto the marching men. Teyla paused as a young boy stepped from the doorway out onto porch and pointed excitedly at the passing men. She could hear the awe in his voice as he called to someone inside.

"Look, Father! Enforcers! That's what I'm going to be when I'm older."

"Then you had better come in and eat your dinner, Dahra. They will not accept scrawny runts like you." replied a deep male voice from inside the home. The young lad took one last admiring look at the passing men before disappearing back into the house.

Teyla and Ronon waited until the door closed again before continuing on their path behind the Enforcers. In the distance Teyla could just make out the outline of the Council Chambers. Standing taller and with an angular facade carved from pale-coloured stone that rose above the large portico helped it stand out from the other buildings that surrounded it. No lights glowed from its windows but then she had not expected any different at this time of night.

The Enforcers changed direction turning down a laneway across the street from where Teyla and Ronon followed. Ronon checked behind them noticing that no-one else was out on the street, reminding him of a curfew. Something was definitely going on and he was determined to find out what. He moved across the street quickly and quietly, not bothering to check if Teyla was following, and peered around the corner. At the far end of the street stood a walled enclosure and the men were marching straight for the guarded gate. He recognised it immediately for what it was and turned back to face Teyla.

"Barracks. The gate is guarded and there is no cover."

"Then we must find another way to get closer," replied Teyla.

They doubled back quickly finding another laneway that led them towards the barracks. Their path was blocked by a stone wall that rose a couple of feet above even Ronon's head.

"Give me a lift."

Ronon complied, interlocking his fingers and creating a step for Teyla lifting her up so that she could look over the top of the wall. Seeing that no-one was in view she pulled herself onto the top. Ronon reached up and pulled himself up beside her keeping low. They could see several buildings inside the enclosure with one building set apart from the others. Ronon moved to drop down inside the compound only stopping when Teyla placed a restraining hand on his arm.

"Something is happening."

He looked towards the compound and heard movement near the isolated building. Moments later he recognised the uniform of the man being escorted around the corner by two men dressed in the dark clothing of the Enforcers. Even from this distance they could recognise Sargeant Clarke despite the dried blood on his face. Ronon wanted to act but Teyla kept her hand on his arm as the prisoner was escorted to another building.

"We need to check if the others are here."

Teyla shook her head in reply. "It is too risky. It is better that we inform Atlantis of what we have found."

Ronon reluctantly agreed before lowering himself and preparing to help Teyla as she dropped from the wall. They moved back down the laneway quickly, keeping to the shadows and pausing at the junction to the main street. They heard the footsteps of more men approach and waited till they had passed before dashing across to the other side.

ooOoo

Jaymar paced beside the long table examining his arsenal of devices as Weir was strapped into the chair. Most had come from other worlds in the years before the invasion by the Dalerians; gathered in trade or in battle and rarely used since, except to discipline his people and never against a female. He glanced over at his prisoner sitting upright and defiant despite the evident fear in her eyes. He had to remind himself that she was guilty by association. Guilty of helping his enemy and therefore deserving of his punishment. He strode over and stood in front of her.

"Who are you and why are you helping our enemy destroy us?"

Elizabeth looked up sharply replying, "We weren't. We didn't even know about you and your people."

"I do not believe you," replied Jaymar as he shifted to stand by the table, his eyes drifting down to the weapons again.

"It is the truth," insisted Elizabeth crying out as a hand swung round and connected with her cheek, snapping her head back painfully.

"I will decide what is the truth. What were you doing at the Ancient ruins?"

Her mind was racing as she tried to understand who these people were and how they related to the Dalerians, well aware that her answers to Jaymar's questions could spell the difference between life and death for her and her people. Yet she could see no reason not to answer his question. "I was translating the Ancient texts in exchange for food for my people."

"You were willing to help them gain access to the very weapon that they wish to use against us?"

Elizabeth was horrified at the thought, "No. We knew nothing of your people and any weapon found was to be used against the Wraith."

Jaymar paused in front of the woman. "Now that you know of us the Dalerians cannot let you return to your world. Your fate is sealed with ours. You will help us rid ourselves of them by providing us the service that you would provide them."

"No," replied Elizabeth. "We will have nothing to do with destroying a race, either yours or theirs."

Her response angered Jaymar and he struck out again with his fist, this time collecting her across the temple and leaving her dazed. "You have no choice. You will help or you will watch your people die. Take her back to the cells so that she may think on her fate."

Elizabeth felt the restraints on her wrists being removed before she was yanked roughly to her feet. The sudden change in position left her dizzy and she would've fallen were it not for the hands that gripped her arms so tight it hurt. She felt her herself being pulled towards the door and allowed them to take her. She was trained as a negotiator, dealing with angry people was part of the bargain but never before had she been subjected to violence. Even the Genii had not hurt her when they had held her captive whilst trying to negotiate for nuclear weapons in the fight against the Wraith. But she knew she could not give in to the Ree-Tan demands. She would have to hope that Atlantis would come for them before they followed through with their threats.

**TBC**

A/N: Will Teyla and Ronon make it safely back to Atlantis? Will Atlantis mount a rescue in time before Weir meets her threatened future? Will Carson be able to stop Sheppard from going to her aid? For the answers to these questions and more sign up for chapter alerts using the option below. And while you're there why not leave a review. I'm sure the plot bunnies would love to hear from you while they busily scheme away with their evil plans for our favourite characters. I'm sure I overhead them say that there is more whump in the future for all to share. Definitely evil they are.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

I would also like to thank all those who are reading this story and especially those who take the time to submit a review. It makes me a happy person to see the continued interest. I do appreciate the patience that you have all shown in sticking with it given the slower publishing rate.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 10**

Ronon heard the sound of more boots approaching and quickly pulled Teyla into the shadows of the nearest building. So far they had managed to avoid any encounters with the locals and they were both keen to keep it that way. They waited as another group of uniformed men marched passed their position and continued towards the outer edges of the village.

"Where are they all going?" asked Teyla

"The gate maybe," replied Ronon.

"Let us hope not."

"We'd better move," replied Ronon.

They kept to the shadows and moved as quickly as they dared. Candlelight still shone from the occasional window as they passed forcing them to keep away from the buildings to avoid being seen by anyone who might look out.

They picked up their speed as they left the village buildings behind and entered the surrounding farm lands. Here the buildings were set back further from the road and it was unlikely that any of the occupants would be able to see them passing in the dark. They kept close to the path certain that they would hear the sounds of approaching troops long before they posed a threat. They needed to report back to Atlantis quickly and the path was the quickest way back to the gate.

The sound of an animal baying drifted to them from somewhere in the distance. Neither paid any heed until a second animal answered from much closer followed by another more human sound. A man's voice raised in anger and close enough for them to make out the words. Too close for them to remain where they were. Teyla touched Ronon's arm before signalling to the tall crops that grew near the path on the other side from where they stood.

They quickly made their way over to the tall grass like plant and pushed their way passed the thick leaves. The sharp edges caught at their clothing and tore at exposed flesh. Teyla was grateful for her thick Athosian coat and the protection it provided, she only hoped that Ronon's tunic sleeves were providing him with the same.

They crouched down and waited for the Dalerians to pass confident that the thick grass would shield them from the eyes of anyone on the path. The sound of footsteps grew closer and another sound could be heard. Teyla recognised the sound just as her eyes made out the shape of a cart being pulled by a large animal.

As they drew closer she could see the outline of a man sat on the cart attempting to control the animal with the reins he held. Walking alongside were several more men. All wore the same black uniforms that they had seen on the marching men. Her attention was drawn back to the animal as it reared up on its hind legs before dropping back to all fours with an audible thud.

"Keep that animal under control, Tarin."

"I am trying, Master. Something has it spooked."

Teyla watched as the animal reared again nearly tipping the cart over in its panic. The movement had thrown Tarin from his seat at the front to where he now lay sprawled on the ground, in mortal danger from the hooves of the frightened animal. Without someone holding the reins the animal was free to continue its destruction. It reared again deliberately pushing against the harness that held it. The cart tipped on a precarious angle allowing Teyla to see that it held several bodies on board before the snapping of timber could be heard. The cart fell back to earth as the animal managed to break free and run off towards the village. A low growling sound came from the grasses on the other side of the road as a pack of animals leapt from the grass and chased after their prey, disappearing into the distance quickly.

Teyla turned her attention back to the men by the cart, barely more than thirty feet from where she and Ronon hid. One man was crouched next to the fallen man checking his injuries.

"He is gravely injured, Master."

"Put him in the cart with the bodies," replied the Master before turning to the man beside him. "Sakara, take a man with you and go back to the barracks; bring back another cart and a healer. And do it quickly."

"Yes, Sire," replied Sakara before turning to the other men. "I will take Yelek, he is the fastest runner."

The Master watched as the two men took off at a run before returning his attention to the remaining two men. "Keep a watch, men, there may be another hunting pack attracted to the smell of decomposing bodies."

Teyla shared a glance with Ronon, with the Dalerians on alert it was unlikely that they could move out from their position without being spotted or heard. They had no choice but to wait awhile and hope that the Dalerians would lose their current alertness. It would be almost two hours before the replacement cart arrived to take the bodies and the other Dalerians away. Her thoughts drifted to the bodies she had spied within the cart. Could they be the other members of Lorne's team? She hoped not. If it were then it was possible that Sargeant Clarke was the only survivor and that Doctor Weir was also dead. Only time would tell, for now she had to bide her time. Another glance towards Ronon was all she needed to see he felt the same way. His weapon was already in his hand waiting for his chance to make a move. His anger under control for now but ready to find an outlet should the opportunity arise.

ooOoo

Elizabeth barely noticed what was happening as she was dragged back towards her cell still in a daze from Jaymar's last blow. She tried to support her own weight but dizziness hounded her and she would've collapsed had her guards not grasped her arms forcefully and pulled her along. She could only hope that Atlantis would find and rescue them before she had to return to that room and learn the purpose of those terrible instruments that she had seen. Just thinking about them was scary enough.

The queasiness in her stomach intensified with the swaying movement of the guards, threatening to overwhelm her. Lorne would not be happy to see her in this state. She was aware that Sheppard had extracted a promise from the man to keep her safe and that Lorne took his promise seriously. She knew he would see this situation as his fault and that he would do anything to put it right. She could not let that happen. Not when it would only end with Lorne in that room of horrors, at Jaymar's mercy. The memory of Jaymar's hand caressing the leather handle of a cat-of-nine-tails whip as he lifted it up for closer inspection sent shudders through her. She made her own promise that she would do whatever she could to keep the others from seeing that room.

The movement stopped as the guards arrived at the cell door pulling her from her reverie. The door creaked open and then a heavy hand to her back pushed her into the cell where she stumbled and crashed to the stone floor before anyone could move to catch her. She cried out as pain shot up her wrist as she reached out to save herself from hitting the stone face first, failing as momentum slammed her into the stone and knocked the air from her lungs. She was vaguely aware that someone was at her side as she heard the cell door slamming closed.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no Weir is hurt and Sheppard isn't near to provide comfort. I wouldn't want to be Jaymar when Sheppard finds out that he's hurt her. Will she be okay? Will Teyla and Ronon be discovered by the Dalerians? You'll have to keep reading to find out, so why not sign up for an alert today.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 11**

Sheppard woke with a start unsure what had woken him. His expression quickly turned to surprise when blue sky greeted him rather than the monotonous white ceiling tiles of the infirmary. He instinctively reached for his P-90, surprised to find it gone. He reached down for his automatic, grateful to find that it at least was still there. Keeping his hand on his weapon he stood quickly, checking his surroundings. He was alone and definitely not on Atlantis. He raised a hand to his ear to find his radio missing. He searched the ground around him but there was no sign of either his radio or his P-90. It made no sense. _What planet was he on?_ He needed to make his way back to the gate. Maybe Atlantis could tell him what was going on and why he couldn't remember leaving. _Was my team with me?_ The lack of memory frustrated him as another thought struck. _Where is the gate?_ He had no idea where he was or how to get back to the gate. Even if they dialled in when he became overdue he had no way to communicate with them. _Crap!_

A strong wind blew against his face carrying the scent of springtime and the sound of distant voices. He turned towards the sound only to find his view blocked by a slight rise. He drew his 9mil from its holster and moved towards the rise. He planned to be as ready to fight as he could if his bad luck continued and for now anyone and everyone was a potential threat. Whether they were friend or foe he intended to find out the location of the gate from them.

He crouched down low as he approached the crest. Stretched before him was open grassland gently falling away to a valley and no more than a football field away stood the gate. At least he could find his way back to Atlantis now. He moved to stand when he heard the voices again coming from his right. He turned to see a tall figure heading towards the gate. Sheppard didn't recognise him or his clothing. Nor did he recognise the second smaller man also dressed in leathers that followed him, roughly dragging a reluctant third figure. His eyes were drawn to the flash of red beneath a torn and dirty grey jacket. Fear gripped his insides as he recognised the soft brown curls of the woman he had come to care about more than he should. Her face turned and he could see the heavy bruises that marred her beautiful face and he felt the anger rising in him. Anger directed to the men that dared to take her captive and dared to hurt her.

He waited till they had passed his position before stepping over the rise to follow them. He moved quickly and silently, gaining on the two men as they continued towards the gate. The tall man arrived at the DHD and dialled a gate address before turning to his companion. His eyes opened wide as he saw Sheppard rapidly closing the gap. He shouted a warning as a shot rang out and he collapsed. The smaller man spun around to see Sheppard taking aim again. The man grabbed a terrified Elizabeth and pulled her body in front of his. Sheppard could see the pleading look in her eyes as the man moved backwards towards the wormhole, a gun firmly pressed under her chin.

"Do not follow me or she is dead," yelled the man.

Sheppard kept pace with the man's movements as he tried to get a clear shot at the man but it was no use. In moments the man would be stepping through the gate and taking Elizabeth with him. If he followed them through the gate there was a good chance that the man would make good on his threat. But if didn't immediately follow them he'd never make it back to the DHD in time to see the gate address and without McKay he had no way of determining the last address dialled. He had to stop the man now or follow him through. "If you kill her then you'll have no shield to hide behind and I will kill you. Let her go and I won't hunt you down."

The man laughed harshly. "And I'm supposed to trust you. I don't think so. Besides she's too valuable to give away."

"Is she worth your life?" asked Sheppard.

"Is she worth yours?" replied the man as his back foot crossed the event horizon.

Sheppard rushed forward making a grab for Elizabeth's arm as the man disappeared into the wormhole but his movements were too slow and his reach too short. Fear tightened it's hold on him as he saw her disappear from view. He couldn't lose her. He would rather lose himself that let that happen. With no other choice left to him he made to follow them through the wormhole only to see it shutdown before he could. The silence that surrounded him was deafening and the feeling of failure weighed heavy on his heart. He had failed her. He fell to his knees, eyes closed, as he struggled to deal with the depth of his failure.

Sheppard opened his eyes when he felt the touch of a hand on his shoulder and found a worried but familiar face looking down at him. A glance to his side confirmed that he was in the infirmary on Atlantis.

"You okay?" asked Beckett.

The realisation that it was all a dream did nothing to ease Sheppard's fears for Elizabeth. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was hurt and time was running out for a rescue. The image of him failing Elizabeth returned bringing with it the devastation he had felt at her loss. The possibility that she may already be dead simply terrified him to the core, sending a shiver through him.

"Lad?" asked Beckett tightening his grip on Sheppard's shoulder.

Sheppard heard the concern in his friend's voice and realised that Carson had been waiting for a response to a question he couldn't remember hearing. "Yeah I'm fine, just a nightmare." Sheppard rubbed a hand across his face. He never liked waking from a drugged sleep. It always left him feeling sluggish and out of sorts. It was hard enough keeping his thoughts under control at the moment without the drugs making it even harder to stay focussed but at least the migraine was gone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Carson.

"Not particularly," replied Sheppard. He knew Carson meant well but he wasn't ready to talk about his fears preferring to push them into a mental box. He doubted he would be able to function if he did otherwise and right now Elizabeth needed him functioning.

Carson nodded his acceptance. "We'll find her, lad."

"I hope so, Carson," replied Sheppard. "Any word from Teyla and Ronon?"

"Not yet so get some more rest. You look like you need it. I'll wake you when they return."

"Promise?"

"I promise," replied Carson.

Sheppard allowed his eyes to close again even though he doubted he'd fall asleep. He knew Carson was right. He needed to get his rest while he could if he wanted to lead the rescue team to find Elizabeth and the others. Carson would try to talk him out of it but he was determined to get his way, lingering injuries be damned.

ooOoo

Carson stayed by Sheppard's bed and watched his friend's breathing settle into the even pattern of sleep. He was certain that Sheppard's nightmare had been about Elizabeth. Just as he was certain that Sheppard wouldn't let injury stop him from going on the rescue mission if there were one. He'd seen Sheppard's dogged determination before with Ford. The reluctance to accept that a team mate was lost. He didn't want to see what it would do to his friend if they couldn't find the woman he so obviously loved and save her. He sighed at that thought, knowing that all he could do was be a friend. Hopefully that would be enough.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Poor Sheppard. Will his nightmare come true? Will he be too late to rescue Weir? And how are Teyla and Ronon doing on Daleria? Has their hiding spot been discovered yet? To receive the next instalment you know what to do - leave a review. Don't be shy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance and her patience. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 12**

"Is she-" asked Lieutenant Jenkins as Lorne crouched beside Doctor Weir.

"I don't know. Doctor Weir?"

She could hear the concern in his voice and despite his gentle tone she knew that he was angry at himself, blaming himself for her treatment. She would have to set him straight.

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Major. I can hear you," replied Weir as she tried to push herself upright.

Lorne put a hand on her shoulder to stop her movement. "Maybe you should let me check you for injuries first."

Weir looked up at the Major and saw the guilt in his eyes. "This is not your fault, Major. None of this would've happened if the Dalerians had been upfront and honest with us. If anyone is to blame it's them and the Ree-Tan. Not you." She saw the lingering doubt in his eyes and knew she needed to say more to convince him. "Major, you know as well as I that the Colonel would never have let me leave Atlantis with such a small military force if he thought that there was any risk at all. There was no mention of another race in the mission reports from SGA-6 when they made first contact and no reason to expect this. It is not your fault."

She continued to watch him, her eyebrow raised, waiting for a response. She hoped her words were enough to get through to him. She needed him to concentrate on how they were going to escape if they got the chance, not mired in guilt. She was relieved when she saw him lift his head and nod. He had gotten the message.

"Yes ma'am but I doubt the Colonel will be letting you off-world again anytime soon without at least two teams and maybe not even then."

"I suspect you're right," replied Weir.

Weir winced as Lorne took her wrist and felt along the bone checking for fractures.

"It doesn't feel broken, you might've sprained it though and you've definitely taken some of the skin off your palm. 'Fraid we don't have anything to clean it with."

"It'll be fine, Major. " replied Weir as Lorne touched the dark bruise on her right cheek. The skin was already tender to touch and she was sure it would sore for the next few days as would be the bruise near her eye. She let him finish checking her facial injuries while she thought back on what Jaymar had asked of her and what he would do if she refused him.

"Besides the bruises you have a wound over your eyebrow that's still bleeding. It should stop on its own. And I'd say you have a possible concussion. Did they hit you anywhere else?"

Weir shook her head, wincing at the spike of pain that lanced through her head. She could only imagine how much worse Lorne felt but still she would give anything for one of Beckett's pills right now. "No. He wanted me capable of thinking about his proposal." She glanced across at the historians before continuing. They were watching her with their own guilty looks including Harneg who looked like he had aged ten years in the short time that she had been gone.

"What was it?" asked Lorne, noticing where she was directing her attention.

"He wants me to translate the ruins for the Ree-Tan."

"And if you don't?"

"He'll start killing people."

"You cannot help him," implored Harneg "He would use the weapon against my people."

Weir turned towards him. "Jaymar accused your people of the same thing. Why do you hate each other so much?"

"The Dalerians invaded this world." replied Lorne "Apparently the Ree-Tan are the original inhabitants."

Weir returned her attention to Lorne as his words sank in. In the eyes of the Ree-Tan they had indeed been helping the enemy. Despite this she knew that she could not do as Jaymar demanded if the result was to be the death of another race. She would have to rely on her negotiation skills to find another solution, but for that she would need to understand why things were as they were. She took a deep breath to clear her head and straightened before turning to the Dalerians. "Tell me everything."

"Our planet was dying, droughts were common and our crops would often fail. When it did finally rain it brought storms, destroying homes and killing hundreds. Food was in short supply. We traded with other worlds, including the Ree-Tan, but we still struggled to source enough food. People were dying from starvation and many took matters into their own hands to save their loved ones. Our society was breaking down into chaos." replied Maris, pausing to take a breath. "Then the Wraith came. Many were not capable of fleeing; others did not see the point and meekly surrendered themselves to the Wraith. Those that were left decided that we must leave our home world if we were to survive. Those that we had traded with were willing to take a few people but they themselves had insufficient food to feed all of our people. Half our people were scattered across several worlds then we asked the Ree-Tan. They were our last hope to find a world that would take the remaining people, but they refused to take any. We knew that we asked much of them and that food would be scarce but to refuse us completely was unthinkable. It did not sit well with our leaders. We were left with only one choice or so we thought. Take the planet by force. The Ree-Tan fought back but they were no match for our Enforcer squads. We thought with time that they would accept our co-existence but they did not. It was decided that a wall should be erected to keep the Ree-Tan contained. That was more than 100 cycles ago. Over time their number has grown. Then three cycles ago the Ree-Tan found a way passed the Enforcers for the first time. We do not know how nor do we know where. But we do know that they intend to seek their revenge. They killed fifty Dalerian men, women and children in that first raid and have declared that they will not stop until they have rid this world of my people. We have nowhere else to go and most would rather see the Ree-Tan eradicated than give up the only home they have known."

Weir could only imagine how terrible it would be to live through such dire times and to be refused help when it was most needed. She understood desperation. She had seen it many times throughout her career and it had often been used to justify atrocities. But to persist with such atrocities when the Dalerians were now in a position of relative affluence was something she failed to understand.

"Hence the search for the Ancient weapon. Jaymar is correct. Your people intend to use it to wipe out his people," stated Weir.

Maris glanced at Harneg before returning his attention to Weir. "Yes. Since Brille became Councillor much effort has gone into finding the Ancient weapon mentioned in the Ree-Tan historical files. He believes that it truly exists."

"Surely your people have all the food they need now. Why not take what you need and relocate to a vacant planet?" asked Weir.

"Many Dalerians feel that this is their home now and are not willing to move. Not all of us feel this way but there are too few of us to make any difference. Councillor Brille also commands all of the Enforcer squads and no-one dares to speak out against him for fear of reprisal."

"Maybe he will change his mind when he realises that Jaymar is also after the Ancient weapon and intends to use it to eradicate the Dalerians."

"I doubt that it will do more than affirm his resolve," replied Maris. "I am sorry that your people have become caught in the middle. You do not deserve this."

"Thank you, Maris." replied Weir absently massaging her forehead. Her headache had grown worse whilst Maris told his story. She wasn't sure whether it was from the beating or the gravity of the Dalerian duplicity.

"You should rest." commented Lorne offering her a hand to help her to her feet.

Weir took the offered hand and rose to her feet unsteadily before allowing Lorne to guide her to the far corner of the cell. She knew Lorne was right. They all needed to rest when they could in case an opportunity to escape presented itself. And escaping was more important than ever now that they knew the truth. Atlantis would not miss them for another two days but if they did not escape before then John would send a team through to investigate and possibly get caught in the middle of a battle between the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians. She could not let that happen.

"Still plan on refusing the Ree-Tan?" asked Lorne quietly as he sat beside Weir.

"Yes I do. All I can offer Jaymar is to attempt to negotiate a resettlement of the Dalerians to another unpopulated world and an offer of assistance against the Wraith. I will not help them destroy each other." replied Weir.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Another short chapter I know but at least we're starting to understand what is going on with the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians. The action should start to heat up even further in the coming chapters so don't miss out on future updates, sign up for an alert and why not leave a review at the same time. The reviews just might keep the plot bunnies at bay... but then again they might just make them go even more whump crazy. Who knows with plot bunnies? Anything is possible.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 13**

Teyla looked across at her teammate as he continued to watch the Dalerians pacing impatiently beside the broken cart. She could see his eyes shift direction as if deciding which target to shoot first with the weapon that he grasped in his hand. She knew patience did not come naturally to him but she hoped that he could resist the temptation that the Dalerians presented for a little longer. It would not be long now till the reinforcements arrived with a replacement cart and then she and Ronon could be safely on their way to the gate with the Dalerians none the wiser to their presence.

She saw his hand move as he took aim on a target just as she heard footsteps approach where they were crouched behind crops. She tightened her grip on her knife ready to defend herself should they be discovered, her eyes now following the sight of the approaching man. She doubted that he knew they were there. He would not be moving so casually if he did. No, she was sure that the man was just restless.

The man continued to move closer, only stopping when the crops blocked his path. Teyla held her breath as the man looked out over the field. He was so close she could hear his breathing. Moments later she heard another sound and understood why he had sought out the privacy of the crops.

Teyla remained still. The man was unguarded but that would change if he heard a sound from so near. Her patience was rewarded when the man turned away at the sound of a cart approaching from the village. She kept her knife at the ready but allowed her grip to relax a little. Beside her Ronon lowered his weapon as his eyes continued to scan the scene before them. They were safe for now but neither of them could afford to let their guard down until they were back on Atlantis.

She watched as the cart came to a stop beside the waiting men. She glimpsed the face of the newcomer as he climbed down and recognised him as Sakara, the man that had been sent to fetch the replacement. A second man, Yelek she presumed, remained seated, his hands on the reins.

Teyla hoped that the men would quickly transfer the bodies and be on their way so that she and Ronon might be free to do the same. She knew that the Colonel would send another team and nothing would stop him from accompanying it if she and Ronon did not make it back to Atlantis soon.

She felt Ronon's hand on her arm bringing her attention back from her thoughts. Before her the transfer of the bodies from one cart to another had begun and she quickly spotted what had caught Ronon's attention. It was hard to make out the details of the dark clothing covering the corpse but the bright red hair of Sargeant Peter Wilson was instantly recognisable. The loss of another life and one so young angered her. It was a risk that they all accepted but its reality never grew any easier. She could only hope that the others had not suffered the same fate, that they were at least alive for now. She felt movement beside her as Ronon started to rise from his crouch, stopping only when she put a restraining hand on his arm. His eyes turned towards her and she could see the same anger she felt reflected. She understood his need for action, his need to avenge the death of the young Sargeant but they could not afford to be discovered now. There would be enough time later to seek their revenge. Ronon seemed to understand her warning without the need for words and settled back into his crouch. She let her arm drop back to her side and returned her attention to the Dalerians, grateful to see that their movement had not attracted any attention.

The remaining bodies were swiftly lifted into the waiting cart and Teyla was relieved that there were no other members of Major Lorne's team among them. Finally the injured driver was again placed with the bodies and joined by the healer before the cart continued on its journey towards the village, taking the remainder of the uniformed men with it.

Teyla remained where she was until she could no longer hear the sounds of the wheels turning against the path. Until the only sounds she could hear were of the night animals moving in the fields. Only then did she stand and make her way back to the path.

"We must move quickly before the Colonel sends another team to find us."

"Agreed," replied Ronon breaking into a run.

Teyla spared a last look towards the damaged cart before sprinting after her friend.

ooOoo

Rodney opened his eyes to find his room in darkness. He was surprised that he'd actually fallen asleep despite his concerns for Weir's safety. A glance at his watch revealed that Atlantis should be hearing from Teyla and Ronon soon if all had gone well. He snorted at that thought, since when had anything in the Pegasus Galaxy gone well.

He pushed himself upright, brushing a hand through his thinning hair just as his stomach growled reminding him that he'd only eaten a muffin before crashing on his bed. The dinner rush was over but there was bound to be a few leftovers in the mess and it wasn't like he didn't know where they hid the good stuff. There had to be some perks to being the resident genius.

He entered the infirmary and found it as he expected. Empty. Since they'd set aside a number of rooms for recreational areas few personnel ever hung around in the mess outside meal times. It seemed that not even a few missing personnel could change their routine. Had people going missing become so common place?

He tore his mind away from his thoughts and back to his goal. One look revealed no leftovers sitting out on the counter. He made his way behind the counter and headed straight for the cool room that hid the good stuff. Once inside he went straight to the back, shifting a number of containers before he found the one he was looking for. The label on the front did not fool him. He knew that the large container didn't hold flour. Not anymore anyway. He lifted the lid and smiled. Inside sat a few dozen of his favourite muffins. Double chocolate. No doubt meant for the following day's lunchtime rush. He doubted that they'd miss a couple or three. He found some paper towels, using them to wrap the muffins before he stashed them in his pockets. His pockets bulging, he grabbed one last muffin biting into it as he slid the lid back on the container and placed it back in its hiding place.

He quickly made his exit and headed towards the infirmary. Maybe he'd share one of his muffins with Sheppard assuming that Beckett still had him trapped in his clutches.

ooOoo

The control room was quiet in the evenings and that was how Sargeant Wilkins preferred it. Safety could be found in quietness, allowing him to relax and examine his surroundings. He had only been in the Pegasus Galaxy a few weeks. Long enough to learn about its many dangers, such as the life sucking aliens and Ancient devices that could throw the unsuspecting into the future as had happened to his CO recently. He'd learned about that event on his first day in Atlantis. He thought it had just been a tall tale. He had even said as much but Major Lorne had set him straight. He'd soon learnt that strange things were the norm in this Galaxy and trouble was never far away. Even now the leader of Atlantis was missing and two members of SGA-1 were off-world investigating the circumstances. So he knew it was only a matter of time before the quietness would end.

It ended sooner than he thought as the first chevron on the gate locked into place with an orange glow followed quickly by the others. Wilkins picked up his P-90 and made his way down the control room steps, taking up his guard position to the side of the gate as SOP dictated. He noticed Corporal Brown doing the same on the other side of the room as the gate finished its dialling sequence and the wormhole splashed into the room before settling down to a steady ripple, casting its blue light over them.

"Any IDC?" asked Wilkins over his shoulder as he kept at the ready.

"It's Teyla," replied the night duty gate technician, Gary. "Lowering the shield."

ooOoo

The shield sparkled for a moment then dropped from the gate. Moments later Teyla stepped into the gate room closely followed by Ronon. She looked up at the control area before turning towards Sargeant Wilkins.

"Sargeant, where are Colonel Sheppard and Doctor McKay?"

"Last I heard, ma'am, the Colonel was in the infirmary. I'm not sure about McKay."

"Thank you, Sargeant. Please call him on the radio and ask him to meet us in the infirmary." replied Teyla before heading towards the infirmary. They had been gone longer than she would've liked thanks to the incident with the Dalerian cart but it had proven worthwhile with the additional information they had gained. Now the difficult task lay ahead. John would not be happy at the lack of news of Elizabeth's whereabouts.

**TBC**

**A/N:** How will Sheppard react at Teyla's news? And when will Sheppard receive his next dose of whump. Don't worry I haven't forgotten. The next instalment should see the team heading towards Daleria. Will Sheppard get whumped then? You'll have to sign up for a story alert to find out and while you're there why not leave a review, tell me who your favourite whump victim is and why. You never know they might just get what you want.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**A/N:** I apologise profusely for the time it has taken me to update this story. I can only hope that you'll forgive me. As a reward for your patience this chapter is longer than the norm and the next chapter is already with my beta. So please hang in there. Your reward is more action and more whump.

**Chapter 14**

"There's nothing wrong with my eyes, Doc," complained Sheppard when Beckett flashed a light into his right eye.

"Aye, Colonel . Just being thorough," replied Beckett as he turned his attention to Sheppard's left eye before dropping the penlight into his pocket. "Okay. I'm going to release ya but I want ya to take it easy. No more handling Ancient devices no matter how much Rodney badgers -"

"I didn't badger him. Is that what he's being saying?"

Carson turned to see Rodney push the curtain aside as he approached Sheppard's bed. "Rodney, have ya no respect for privacy?"

"What..." Rodney raised a hand to his radio before replying. "Okay. Thanks." He returned his attention to Sheppard and Carson. "Teyla and Ronon are back from Daleria. They're headed here for their post-mission check and to debrief."

Sheppard pushed himself off the bed and reached for his uniform shirt.

"Yes, right. I'll just wait out here then," replied Rodney as he quickly backed out through the curtain, pulling it closed behind himself.

Sheppard smirked at Rodney's reaction. Some things never changed for which he was grateful. He slipped on his shirt trying to hide the wince from Carson as his shoulder reminded him that it would still be a while before it completely healed. The look on Carson's face told him that he hadn't succeeded.

"Aren't ya forgetting something, lad?" asked Carson holding up the Sheppard's sling.

"Sorry, doc, not this time. I'll need two arms." replied Sheppard.

"Och, I know ya want to go after her but ya're in nae fit state to mount a rescue. That break in your collar bone is healing nicely but it's far from full strength."

Sheppard could tell from the thickening of Carson's accent that he really wasn't happy with him but he'd already made up his mind and no-one, not even Carson, was going to change it. "I'm going, Carson." Sheppard heard Carson's sigh and knew he'd won that round. It surprised him a little as he had expected more of a fight from the good doctor.

"Aye, I guessed you would nae matter what I said but I want ya to eat a decent meal before ya go, at least."

Sheppard nodded his acceptance and replied, "Thanks, Carson."

"I'm not finished yet," added Carson, "I'll be going with ya."

Sheppard didn't want any non-combatants on the rescue mission team. Not this time. He knew there was always a chance of injuries but his men knew the risks and were more than capable of providing basic field medicine. He could count on one hand the number of times that Carson had been off-world in a similar situation. He would just be another person for him to worry about. "Carson, I-"

"I'm not asking for ya permission, Colonel. Elizabeth might be injured."

Sheppard felt his stomach clench as Carson's words triggered a memory from his nightmare. An image of Elizabeth being dragged through the gate with a gun held to her chin. Carson was right. He gave a nod of approval before moving towards the curtain. "Okay, Doc. Conference room in one hour for mission briefing."

ooOoo

Teyla entered the infirmary with Ronon one step behind her. She could see the privacy curtain drawn around the bed that was usually reserved for her team leader and assumed that he was still resting. She wished that she could leave him to his rest but he would want to know what she had seen on Daleria even though she had no news on Elizabeth.

"Carson's with him doing his usual voodoo torture."

Teyla turned to see Rodney watching her and Dr Keller approaching behind him.

"Is he okay?" asked Teyla. She had been surprised at the news that her team leader was still in the infirmary and she was concerned as to what it meant. She knew that John was still recovering from his injuries from his last time off-world but she suspected it was Elizabeth's absence that was responsible for his current state. She had seen the worry that he tried to hide from her even before Sargeant Clarke's attempted contact, but she knew him too well.

"He will be. Now let's get the two of you checked out," replied Keller, leading Teyla and Ronon towards a gurney away from the curtained off cubicle.

Teyla settled herself on the gurney as Keller prepared to take a sample of blood, a routine that she had grown used to since coming to Atlantis and joining the Colonel's team. A routine that she understood but right now she wished things were different. Her normal patience was absent. Maybe it was the dread of telling her friend that she had no news of Elizabeth. Or maybe it was just a yearning to return to Daleria with her team mates so that they may find her and the missing team.

A glance across at Ronon showed her a similar impatience. Movement behind him caught her eye and she turned her attention to the person exiting from the curtained off area. Despite her misgivings she was glad to see John walking toward her.

" What did you find out? " asked John.

"Wilson's dead." stated Ronon ignoring the shocked look that Keller gave him.

Teyla heard the quiet anger in Ronon's voice. An anger she shared. She looked to John. His eyes lowered for a moment, closing himself off as he often did. But she knew the signs and could see them in him now as the muscles along his jaw line rippled. With leadership came responsibility and John took his responsibilities seriously, taking every death personally. His anger was no less than hers and the Dalerians would pay for what they had done.

"And the others?" asked Sheppard.

"The Dalerians are holding Sargeant Clarke in a compound in the township." replied Teyla. "We saw no sign of Elizabeth or the others."

"What? Why not?" asked Rodney. "What were you doing? You were gone for hours. How-"

Ronon turned his glare on Rodney, stopping the man in the middle of his tirade. "Something is going on."

"No kidding, Conan. We already knew that," replied Rodney.

It was Sheppard's turn to throw a glare at Rodney before he asked, "Any idea what?"

"No. There is a curfew in place and many armed men patrolling." replied Teyla.

"They're probably afraid of us and what Sheppard will do to them." stated Rodney.

"I do not think so. The gate was not guarded. Whatever it is that they expect, it is not us that they fear the most."

"They should," stated Ronon.

" Get cleaned up. We'll meet back in the conference room in thirty minutes to plan our attack." replied Sheppard before leaving the infirmary.

Teyla turned to Dr Keller and received a nod from her indicating that she was free to go.

"He should tell her," stated Ronon.

"I agree," replied Teyla.

"Tell who what?" asked Rodney.

"Thought you were a genius?" replied Ronon.

"I am. So are you going to tell me?"

"No."

Teyla sighed as she turned to leave. Rodney and Ronon were like brothers to her but at times they behaved more like children.

ooOoo

After leaving the infirmary Sheppard turned towards his quarters intent on a quick shower to help clear the remaining cobwebs clouding his thoughts. He hated the after effects of the drugs Beckett had given him. He'd been reluctant to accept them but he knew he couldn't have led the rescue mission with the migraine affecting him. Beckett had made that quite clear and for once he had agreed. His promise to eat a proper meal was a different matter. He knew Beckett meant well but right now all he could think about was her and the need to find her and the others before they suffered the same fate as Wilson. He could only hope that it wasn't too late already.

As military commander her safety was his responsibility. But he knew his fear for her was much more than the normal fear he felt for a missing team member. He'd had nothing else to think about recently when he had spent three long hours alone in a Wraith dart battling his injuries as he tried getting his team mates back home safely. Time enough to realise how he truly felt about Elizabeth and to consider what actions the IOA would take against Elizabeth if he acted on his feelings. And more than enough time to know that he couldn't lose her. If he did he'd lose himself.

He didn't understand the motives behind the actions of the Dalerians and he didn't really care. He just wanted his people back. He knew that his team would want to go on the rescue mission but storming the Dalerian compound would require more than one team if they were to pull it off. They would require a couple of jumpers and he knew just the person to fly the second jumper. He activated his radio as he entered his room. "Lieutenant Paxton."

He tugged his jacket off while he waited for a response and tossed it carelessly onto his desk knocking over a picture frame. "Lieutenant, I want you and a team of marines in the conference room for a mission briefing in twenty minutes. And bring another jumper pilot."

He tossed his radio carelessly beside his jacket scrubbing a hand across his face before stepping into his bathroom. Moments later he was stood under a stream of hot water feeling his lethargy washing away as the water did its job. He needed to be on his A game for this mission and this was the quickest way he knew to clear his head. A few minutes was all he needed before he shut off the water and reached for a towel.

He dressed in a fresh uniform quickly aware that he was due in the conference room shortly. He moved to grab his radio and jacket from the desk and noticed the fallen picture frame. The wooden frame had been a birthday gift from Elizabeth. She had seen the picture that he kept on his desk and felt it needed a better home than the one it had propped up against his copy of War and Peace. She had asked the Athosians to make it and then surprised him with it that first year not long after he'd given her a clay pot for her birthday. The frame was rustic much as the pot had been but what it held was one of his most treasured possessions. For some reason Zelenka had brought a camera along one movie night and taken pictures of his team. Elizabeth had joined them after much cajoling on his part. The evening had been nice with her sat by his side sharing a bowl of popcorn. Zelenka had captured the moment where the popcorn had gone flying when they had playfully fought over the last handful. The look of Elizabeth's surprise as popcorn rained down on her when he'd suddenly let go of the bowl was priceless. He remembered that her shock had soon turned to a smile when she'd realised she had won. He'd give anything to see her smiling face again. To find her and bring her home.

He placed the frame back in its spot on his desk before grabbing his jacket and radio. A glance at his watch told him it was time to head to the conference room.

ooOoo

Rodney was on his way to the briefing when he saw Sheppard step out of the transporter and head towards the conference room. Rodney sped up, wanting to catch up to him. Pulling up alongside him he could see what Carson had seen. A person who was still recovering from serious injuries, not someone who should be leading a rescue mission. But he also saw a friend. A determined friend who took the safety of everyone on the expedition team personally. He knew he couldn't stop Sheppard from leading the mission. All he could do was lend his support. He heard a suspicious rumbling noise coming from Sheppard, reminding him of the spare snack he'd freed from the kitchen earlier.

"Oh I nearly forgot. This is for you." stated McKay pulling a slightly squashed muffin from his pocket.

Sheppard looked down at the bedraggled looking snack wrapped in a serviette. "Um...Thanks." he replied as he accepted the misshapen muffin. "What was it before you sat on it?"

"What? I thought you said you passed the Mensa test?"

Sheppard ignored Rodney's jibe as he broke off a piece and popped it into his mouth. The taste brought a smile to his face, "Chocolate, my favourite."

"Double chocolate," responded Rodney returning the smile.

"Even better."

ooOoo

Sheppard's eyes fell on Beckett, noting the scowl that was directed at him. No doubt Beckett would want a word with him later about his choice of sustenance. For now he intended to ignore him. He took his seat conscious that he occupied Elizabeth's normal spot, and placed the remnants of the muffin on the table before getting down to business.

"Teyla and Ronon have found two of our people, Clarke and Wilson. Wilson is dead and Clarke is being held in a compound in the Dalerian village. As for the others, we don't know. It's possible that they're being held at the same location. What we do know is that the Dalerians cannot be trusted. Teyla?" Sheppard looked to Teyla for her to continue.

"There are many military patrols on the move and there is a curfew in place in the village. The gate was not guarded but that may have changed since our return. The compound is in the heart of the village and it is surrounded by a high stone wall. There appears to be only one entrance and it is guarded. We saw Sargeant Clarke being taken to a building that stood apart from the others. There was a single guard on the door. It was not possible to determine whether anyone else is being held in the same building. "

"And Wilson?" asked Lieutenant Paxton.

"The Dalerians were transporting his body along with several others back to the village. We did not recognise any of the other bodies. Their dress was like that of the Dalerian towns-folk."

"They killed their own people?" asked Rodney.

"We do not know that," replied Teyla.

"They could've been killed by our people defending themselves," added Paxton.

"Whatever happened I intend to get our people back. We'll make our approach in two cloaked jumpers. Beckett you'll ride with me but you'll be staying in the jumper. Lieutenant Paxton, your team will be in the second jumper providing backup and a diversion should we need it." Sheppard looked at the people sat around the table as he continued, "We go in quiet and hopefully leave with our people before anyone is any the wiser."

"The Daedulus is only a couple of days away. Couldn't we divert them?" asked Paxton.

McKay shook his head in response. "No. Daleria is further away from Earth than Atlantis so even at maximum speed they'd take too long to get there."

"Any more questions?" asked Sheppard as he looked around the table again. "Okay, gear up, we're heading out in fifteen minutes. Rodney contact Caldwell and fill him in, in the meantime you're in charge."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're sitting this one out," replied Sheppard. "With all of the senior staff off world you're needed here."

"That's never stopped us before. You need me. What if you need to get a door open?"

Sheppard had known that McKay wouldn't like his decision. That was why he hadn't told him earlier. And he wasn't really lying. McKay would be needed on Atlantis to take charge if they didn't return. He had no illusions about the potential for things to go pear shaped on Daleria. Ideally they would have flown a recon flight before sending in troops to mount a rescue but something told him that they didn't have time for that. He just hoped that they hadn't left the rescue too late already.

He had another reason as well, though, for leaving McKay behind and it was a purely selfish one. Rodney was smart and brave. He'd proven that since joining his team but he was still a civilian and breaking into a military compound was not something he should be asked to do. But Rodney would do it because of their friendship and he just could not allow it. Not when he had marines available who were trained for the job. He didn't want to risk losing any more of the people he cared about. He had lost enough over the years.

"That's why we have C4," replied Sheppard as he started towards the armoury to gear up.

"Okay, bad example. What if something happens to the jumper, who is going to fix it if I'm not there?"

"We'll manage," replied Sheppard stopping suddenly when Rodney's hand grabbed his arm and swung him round. "No Rodney. I know you want to help and you can by keeping Atlantis running. Military only this time."

"And Beckett," whined Rodney.

"And Beckett – only to treat the injured. We'll get her back." Sheppard studied his friend's face and saw reluctant acceptance. That would have to do.

ooOoo

Rodney stood at the railing overlooking the gate room watching as Sheppard's jumper gently lowered into the room and hovered before the open gate.

"Leave the lights on for us, McKay."

"Good luck, Colonel," replied Rodney as he watched the jumper disappear into the event horizon quickly followed by the second jumper. Moments later the gate shut down and he again wondered why everyone in the Pegasus galaxy seemed hell bent on deception. He could only hope that Sheppard would be able to find their missing people and bring them safely home. He knew if anyone could it would be Sheppard with his dogged determination and never leave anyone behind philosophy.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Goodie I hear you say, finally Sheppard is on his way to rescue Elizabeth from the evil people threatening her with torture if she doesn't help them in their genocidal plans. But can it really be that simple? Well I guess it could but with me writing it, it's unlikely. So if you want to see what kind of trouble Sheppard can get into on Daleria trying to rescue everyone then you had better bribe the author with a review . And while you're there, why not sign up for a story alert so you don't miss any of the coming action and whumpage. There's plenty for everyone.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank my beta reader, Nika Dixon, for her guidance. Any mistakes here are purely my own.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 15**

Life for Maran had been straight forward. He had always known that he would join the Enforcers and help protect his people from the Ree-Tan. And his father had been proud of having a son that wanted to follow in his footsteps.

He remembered how excited he had been on the eve of his sixteenth birthday, his last night as a civilian. The following day his father had taken him into the compound where he was fitted out with his own uniform and started his training.

He had always loved physical activities and being outside. His training satisfied both of these allowing him to excel. Even the death of his father at the hands of the Ree-Tan hadn't dented his enthusiasm. Instead it had given him an outlet for his anger. His Training Master had been the one to provide the congratulations in place of his father at the graduation ceremony and he had been grateful when the man made no comments about the tears that filled his eyes. His mother had been too grief stricken to watch her son receive his own weapons, completing the process that would put him in harm's way as it had his father. He had seen it differently. He had planned to avenge his father's death and avenge it he did earning himself his first promotion at the age of eighteen.

He pulled himself away from the memories of his past and returned his mind to more recent matters. Matters that were making him question his loyalty to the man to whom his allegiance was sworn. He'd heard the tales told by the men of Brille's many brave acts defending his people against the Ree-Tan and he had been in awe of the man. Had been willing to follow the man and do whatever he had asked. His loyalty had won him another promotion and appointment to the inner circle, the Enforcer Elite. An appointment his father had never achieved. Now he was beginning to wonder why he had lusted after it so much. Had it been the exuberance of youth or just the naiveté? Whatever it had been he could no longer ignore Brille's actions and nor could he condone them. Not now. Not now that Brille's most recent actions were likely to bring to bear the wrath of another race against his people.

He had done his duty by bringing the Lantean back for questioning, believing that all Brille had wanted was to learn about the Ree-Tan attack and the fate of the others so that they could be rescued. He had been forced to knock the man out before he stepped through the gate. He felt it had been necessary so that they could gather the information that they needed to mount that rescue. He had not expected that Brille would threaten the man and torture him to get that information. The Lantean did not deserve the treatment he had received. He had not been responsible for the disappearance of the historians nor the deaths of the others. But it was evident that Brille did not care about that. He only cared about his plan to exterminate the original owners of this world. A plan that Brille was determined to implement at all costs.

Brille's plan had seen him elected to the Council allowing him to present himself as a democratically elected official to the planets that they traded with. A move which had seen Brille able to boost the materials available for weapons production instead of the farm equipment that it was supposed to provide to the Dalerians. The Ree-Tan had no such access to off-worlders. They were forced to live behind a huge wall that not only removed their freedom but removed their access to the rich agricultural lands that had once been theirs. Now they were forced to try and feed their own people from the barren wastes that they had been allowed to retain.

Maran again dragged his thoughts back from their wanderings. This was not helping him. All it was achieving was increasing his unease with his chosen path. A path that had been driven by duty and honour. A path that seemed anything but on reflection. Brille's plan no longer sat well with his conscience. It hadn't for some time if he was honest with himself but he'd known better than to voice his thoughts. Holding such dissenting views had a habit of shortening one's career. And one's life. And that would've achieved nothing. Nothing useful anyway. But maybe now he would no longer have to bide his time. Maybe the Lantean could provide him the opportunity he needed.

Maran pushed himself off his bunk and slipped from his quarters into the dimly lit hallway. He knew few of his fellow Enforcers would be patrolling inside the compound as most had been assigned to patrol the village and beyond into the lands bordering the Ree-Tan territories. And no-one was likely to question his presence at such a late hour. His rank among the Elite would guarantee that. Only another member of the Elite might question his actions were they to follow him. But he intended to give them no cause to.

He paused, hidden in the shadows of the sleeping quarters as he watched the security detail make their way across the grounds. The sound of laughter drifted across from the commissary on the breeze. Not everyone dreaded the upcoming battle with the Ree-Tan that was likely. His mind drifted back to his father. What would he have made of what he was about to do? But now was not the time to think of such things if he wished to succeed.

He stepped out from the safety of the shadows and made his way towards the cell block that stood alone in the open quadrangle. He knew it had been built that way deliberately so that anyone approaching the building would be clearly seen. Only the far side was hidden from view and that side was guarded. The reason for the door being on the far side was also deliberate for the door gave the prisoner his first view of death as it overlooked the blood-stained raised platform. Some quivered at the sight of it, others used it to fuel their defiance at being captured. The Lantean had been oblivious. If he was caught Maran knew he would be shown no mercy. He would get to find out for himself what his first view of death would feel like. Would he quiver or would he stand defiant? He hoped he wouldn't find out tonight.

He kept his pace normal despite the urge to run and he tried to look relaxed despite his taut nerves. There was no reason for anyone to suspect his motives especially since he was the one to capture the prisoner.

No-one challenged him. Not even the guard on the cell door who greeted him, his superior officer, formally as he stepped around the corner of the building. Maran nodded to the guard. As a member of the Elite he didn't need to explain his presence. It would be suspicious if he did. Instead he maintained his pace, walking passed the young man and not glancing back until he reached the door. The guard had done as he expected and ignored him. But so far he had done little to raise suspicions. If he succeeded in what he had planned that would no longer be the case. But he knew if had to be better to live a short life with no regrets rather than a long one filled with them.

He turned his attention back to the door and lifted the metal cross brace that held the door firmly closed. Once inside the smell hit him. He wished for the gentle breeze he'd felt outside to reach into this space and carry away the smell of stale vomit that was mixing with the other smells of human occupation. The air inside the cell was much hotter than that outside adding the smell of human sweat to the other odours that assaulted him. The prisoner would not last long in the conditions he was being held in but he doubted that Brille cared. Once he had what he wanted from the prisoner he would lose his usefulness and would be dispatched with no more thought than what one gives to choosing what clothes to wear.

Maran pulled a flint from his pocket and used it to strike a spark, lighting the single oil lamp on the wall by the door before turning to face the prisoner.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Aaagh what is she doing? Where are Sheppard and the others? Don't worry they are still on their way and Elizabeth is still in danger. This scene was a necessary one although the plot bunnies surprised me and took control. I guess that's what happens when you ignore them for too long. And my don't they have big teeth. Hopefully they'll be satisfied with this little power grab and let me get back to writing the rest of the story, otherwise Sheppard's team won't be the only ones on the receiving end of a little whump. Did I say whump? Yep you'd better believe it. One can't have too much I say. Now don't forget to leave a review and make the author a happy girl. Yes, I'm really that shallow.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author****'****s Note:** This chapter was sent to my beta for its usual review but after 3 weeks of silence I've decided you've waited long enough. I only hope that Nika is well as the last time silence greeted my emails to her she'd broken her leg playing ice hockey. Any mistakes here are obviously my own and I apologise in advance for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 16**

Sheppard cloaked the jumper as soon as they emerged from the event horizon. This was his first visit to Daleria and he had no time to admire the beauty of the fields below as the glow from the gate illuminated them. Instead he turned his attention to the HUD as he looked for the location of the village. The display showed several groups of dots moving slowly across the terrain.

Ronon leaned forward in his seat behind Sheppard, studying the display.

'Looks like the patrols are moving away from the village,' stated Sheppard. A larger collection of dots formed a red mass further away. The village he presumed. He adjusted their course slightly to take them on a path towards the mass of red dots. Towards Elizabeth he hoped. He could already feel the effect of the adrenaline as it started to pump through his body at the anticipation of battle. He could feel his fear as well. Fear at what he would find. Would Elizabeth be unharmed or would he realise his worst nightmare?

A gentle hand on his arm broke him from his thoughts. He looked across at Teyla in the co-pilot's seat and saw the quiet confidence in her eyes.

"We will find her, Colonel."

He hoped she was right. He knew he cared for Elizabeth more than he should. He'd worked that out a few weeks ago but now he was learning just how much he'd grown to depend on her presence. How much it would hurt to lose her. And now he was learning that he wasn't the only one who knew how much she meant to him.

"She's right," added Ronon.

Was everyone aware of how he felt towards his boss? He'd have to work harder on hiding his feelings. The last thing any of them needed was a rumour mill in overdrive and word getting back to the IOA. Sheppard kept his eyes focussed on the horizon and returned his thoughts to the mission ahead. Everything else would have to wait until they were safely back on Atlantis.

The planet lay in darkness below them hiding the terrain from view. He knew from Teyla's report that the village was surrounded by rich, open farmland dotted with the occasional house. He spotted the glow on the horizon marking the start of the village. Obviously a few of the locals were still awake in their homes. The village supported a much larger community but Teyla had also spoken of a curfew. That meant that the only people on the village streets would be the military. He hoped to keep it that way.

Teyla noticed the lights as well. "The compound is in the centre of the village. It is unlikely that there will be a clearing nearby large enough for both vessels, Colonel."

Sheppard glanced at the HUD as the display changed to show the layout of the village. Red dots were scattered in small groups throughout the village.

Teyla pointed to the largest concentration of dots. "This is the compound."

The image zoomed in on the compound as they neared the village. Teyla studied the image for a moment before continuing. "This is the building that we saw Sargeant Clarke being taken to."

Sheppard noted that only three red dots occupied the region that Teyla indicated and one of those stood outside the only entrance. He let his eyes roam over the image displayed before him taking in the details. He could see that Teyla had been correct, there was only one way into the compound and it was currently guarded by two dots. Another two were making their way towards the entrance, either a patrol or replacement guard duty. Further away a building held a sizeable number of stationary dots. Sleeping quarters, he suspected. A smaller group were gathered in a neighbouring building. He recognised the pattern they formed as people sat around a table and assumed that the building housed their version of a mess hall. To its right stood the final building in the compound. The command centre, he assumed based on the small number of red dots moving around inside it.

His brain automatically tallied up the number of Dalerians in the compound. All probably armed and well trained and wondered if two teams would be enough if things went pear-shaped. Maybe, maybe not, but he had no choice. He couldn't wait any longer. He had to find her and bring her home. He knew he'd do anything, take any risk to achieve that. Even if it meant his death. He also knew that his team would follow him to the very end, whatever that end was.

Sheppard switched his attention to the view on the ground as the jumper moved into position above the compound. He spotted what looked like an exercise yard nearby that looked large enough to land a couple of jumpers. It would be risky having the jumpers so close to the Dalerian's equivalent of the military but he had no choice. Clambering over the walls was out. They would have too much open ground to cover without being spotted. Similarly storming the gate was out. There was no way to approach the gate unseen and they only needed one shot or shout to bring the rest of the Dalerian military down upon them. No the only way that they were likely to succeed was with the element of surprise and the only way he could see to achieve that was to land inside the compound, as close to the isolated building as he could safely manage.

Sheppard opened a radio channel, "Lieutenant, we'll be putting down beside our target. There are only three life signs in the building so I am assuming that some of our people are somewhere else inside the compound, possibly in that building off to the right. I want you to check it out, quietly, and report back."

"Understood, sir."

"Are all those dots-"

"Soldiers," finished Sheppard, "I'm afraid so Carson."

"Bloody hell."

Sheppard couldn't help but agree with Carson's assessment. Given their previous luck in the Pegasus galaxy it was unlikely that things would go well but that had never stopped him before and it wasn't about to stop him now. Not with Elizabeth's life at stake.

He lowered the jumper as close as he dared and shut the engines down. He moved into the rear compartment closely followed by his team. He grabbed his P-90 from the rack and attached it to his vest as he turned back to the others. "Okay guys, let's do this. Carson you're staying here. Sandler you're on guard duty. Take the jumper back up and stay there. If something happens to us you get the Doc back to Atlantis."

"Yes, sir," replied the young marine.

Sheppard pulled the life signs detector from his vest and checked the screen. "All clear. I'll take point. Ronon you're next, Teyla you have our six." He returned the device to his vest before hitting the hatch release. He was out of the jumper and moving quickly towards the building before the ramp had even touched the ground. He disappeared into the shadows, keeping close to the wall as he worked his way towards the only entrance he'd seen marked on the scanner.

He reached the corner of the building and paused for a moment. Listening. But the only sound he could hear came from the guard as his feet shifted against a loose pebble. Even Ronon's movements were hidden from his ears but he knew his friend was watching his back as he always did.

A cautious glance around the corner showed the guard stood with his back towards him, his stance casual. A sign of boredom after many hours on duty. Sheppard knew he could easily shoot the man but that would alert the others to their presence. He reached behind his back for his knife. He would need to do this silently.

He took a deep breath before stepping around the corner. He was committed now. If the guard turned he would see him immediately and raise the alarm. He could feel the rapid beat of his heart as the adrenaline surged through his system. His focus narrowed taking in every minute detail of his target as he slowly made his way across the gap that separated them. Blonde hair peaked out from under a dark cap. The slim build reminiscent of youth. He saw it all as he approached. The guard turned, his young mouth falling open in surprise. Sheppard launched himself at the guard, registering the fact that he was barely out of his teens as his body connected and carried them both to the ground, losing his knife in the fall.

Sheppard ignored the flare of pain from his left shoulder as he landed roughly turning his attention instead to the Dalerian struggling beneath him. The guard opened his mouth but got no further before a blow caught him across the chin and snapped his head back. Sheppard moved for a second blow but held back when he felt the body beneath his fall slack. His shoulder protested again as he pushed himself to his feet and checked that no-one had seen or heard him before turning towards the building in time to see Ronon disappear inside.

ooOoo

Ronon peered around the corner of the building. Sheppard was ahead of him, approaching the guard quietly from behind. He turned his attention to the door and spotted the cross brace sitting on the ground and swore silently. It could mean only one thing. One of the Dalerians was inside the building with Clarke. Someone that could step out at any moment and spot Sheppard. Unless he stopped that someone.

A quick glance towards Sheppard confirmed that things were still under control for the moment. Another over his shoulder confirmed that Teyla was by his side. He tilted his head in the direction of the door and she gave a nod of understanding in return. After months of working together they rarely needed to exchange words in the field to communicate. He turned his attention back to the door and moved into position with his weapon raised as Teyla slipped passed him and placed her hand on the door handle. Ronon gave her a nod, stepping forward and into the building as soon as she pulled the door open.

ooOoo

Maran heard the door opening behind him and feared the worst. There was no reason for anyone else to be visiting the prisoner at this time of night. Nor was there really a legitimate reason for his presence. He would have to bluff and hope for the best. If any of his colleagues suspected his motives for seeing the Lantean then his own life would be forfeit.

He grabbed the collar of the Lantean's uniform and pulled the barely conscious man up towards him eliciting a grunt of pain from the man. He tightened his grip to keep the man from falling back to the ground. A shadow fell across the room as someone else entered the building, blocking out the light momentarily. He looked to see who it was and was surprised to see a tall, well-muscled man pointing what looked like a weapon at him.

"Let him go."

Maran studied the stranger. It was obvious that he was no Dalerian but how had he gotten into the compound. His mind raced as he worked through the possibilities. The man couldn't be a Ree-Tan. The weapon looked too sophisticated to be one of theirs. _Surely he is not a Lantean. His clothing and hair are so different._

ooOoo

"I said, Let him go," repeated Ronon.

Sheppard stepped into the cell and saw the menacing glare that Ronon was directing at someone. In the corner stood a man wearing the same uniform as the guard outside and in his grip was Sargeant Clarke. "I'd put him down before the big guy shoots you."

Sheppard saw the look of recognition on the man's face as he took in the uniform. The same one that the man he held wore. Without a word he lowered Clarke gently to the floor before straightening again, his eyes on Ronon's weapon.

"Now take a step away from him," instructed Sheppard as Teyla joined them in the cell.

Maran did as he was asked and moved several paces away, keeping his hands where they could be seen.

Sheppard followed him and checked him for weapons, finding and removing the only weapon the man carried. He backed away and turned his attention to Teyla as she crouched by the unconscious man's side and checked his injuries. "How is he?"

"It appears that he has been beaten but I think he will be fine once we get him to Dr Beck-."

Sandler's voice sounded over the radio, interrupting Teyla. "_Colonel. There is a Dalerian patrol heading in your direction._"

"How many?" asked Sheppard.

"_Two men and they appear armed._"

"Understood, Sargeant." replied Sheppard ending the transmission. "We need to get out of here."

"Want me to shoot him?" asked Ronon.

Sheppard looked at the Dalerian before replying, "Not yet." Elizabeth had to be here somewhere, he intended to find out where and maybe the Dalerian could provide them with their answers. "Ronon, stay here and make sure he doesn't make any noise. If he does then shoot him. Teyla, you're with me. We have a patrol to deal with, quietly."

**TBC**

**A/N**: Will things go pear-shaped for Sheppard as they so often do? How will he cope when he learns that the Dalerians aren't holding Elizabeth and the rest of the team? Will there be whump before the action is over? Well maybe that last one was a dumb question but if you want to know how our favourite boy fares then tune in for the next chapter with a story alert. And while you're there why not drop a line with that little grey button and tell me who should get whumped. You never know you just might get your wish.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to review, your words encourage me. I would also like to thank everyone else who has made it this far in the story, your continued presence is also encouraging and proof that the show was cancelled way too early. My beta, Nika Dixon, is taking a well earned break at the moment but I didn't want to keep you all waiting so here it is unbetaed. All mistakes are obviously my own and I'll apologise in advance for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 17**

Sheppard exited the cell keeping to the shadows of the building trusting that Teyla had done the same. He pulled the life signs detector from his vest and checked the position of the patrol. It confirmed Sandler's warning. A patrol was on the move and headed their way. In moments they would be between them and the only spot within the compound that the jumpers could safely land, effectively cutting off any chance that they could make it back to the vessels without being seen. They needed a distraction and quickly.

Sheppard ran through his options in his mind quickly, realising that they were few. And only one had any real chance of success. He checked the life signs one last time before shoving the device into his pocket and pushing away from the building. He crouched beside the prone guard and rolled him onto his back. Teyla joined him and between them they dragged the limp man closer to the building and propped him up against the wall before they merged back into the shadows.

Sheppard pulled out the LSD and monitored the approach of the patrol. He knew it was a risk. The patrol might raise the alarm before checking the guard but complacency could easily occur. He'd seen it happen on Earth when people felt they were safe inside a well-guarded facility, assuming that an attack wouldn't start from the inside and letting their guard down as a result. He hoped the attitude was universal.

He showed the screen to Teyla, using it to indicate where he wanted her to go. She nodded once and quietly disappeared from sight, leaving him to wonder whether he'd made the right decision bringing only two teams. Time would tell him the answer soon enough.

They didn't have to wait long before the patrol spotted the guard slumped against the wall. They were close enough now that Sheppard could hear the rustle of the uniforms and the gentle sound of metal bouncing off metal. He slipped the LSD into his pocket, keeping his movements careful and quiet, before lifting his P-90 and unclipping it from his vest. Shooting wasn't all it was good for despite what McKay often said.

"Wake up, Tomari. You're supposed to be guarding the prisoner."

Sheppard risked a glance around the corner, confirming his suspicion about complacency as he noted that neither man had their weapons drawn. Obviously the Dalerians had no experience with people with flying ships that could within the compound walls and launch an attack from inside. They were about to learn a valuable lesson.

Sheppard continued to watch the patrol as they stopped near their fallen comrade. One of the men stepped closer and pushed at the prone man with his foot, but got no response. "Tomari?" He squatted beside the man and reached out his hand to prod the other man's shoulder.

Two bursts of static sounded in Sheppard's ear telling him that Teyla was in position. Sheppard replied with a single burst of static signalling her to move before launching himself around the corner and towards the crouching man. He saw Teyla target the other guard as she swung her P-90 at the man's skull. Sheppard heard the man grunt as he staggered back from the blow and increased his pace as the second man stood rapidly, drawing his weapon.

Sheppard saw the guard spin towards him and quickly closed the gap. He tackled the man, shoving him back against the brick wall as his hand closed on the man's weapon hand. The guard snapped his head forward connecting with Sheppard's head and kicked out at Sheppard's unprotected shin at the same time. Sheppard's grip on the struggling man loosened under the blows despite his efforts. Maybe Beckett had been right and he should've left this mission to someone who wasn't still recovering from serious injuries.

Another blow from the guard broke his hold altogether. A third blow sent him crashing to the ground. Sheppard moved to push himself upright and out of the way before the guard could aim his weapon in his direction. He knew if he didn't move quickly, he was as good as dead but his aching body protested at the movement he was demanding from it. He wasn't sure what hurt more; the stabbing pain from his shoulder or the throbbing pain from the blow to the head. A fourth blow left him dazed.

ooOoo

Teyla took a final swing at her target, kicking out with her leg and knocking the man to the ground where he remained unconscious. She took a moment to check that he was out of the fight before turning her attention to the battle between her CO and the other guard. She could see that Sheppard was struggling and suspected that his previous injuries were the cause. She saw the guard knock Sheppard to the ground bringing his weapon round to bear on her friend and wasted no time in coming to his aid. The man was so intent on Sheppard that he hadn't noticed that his comrade was down and she hoped that she could use that fact to her advantage and close the gap between her and her new target before he took his shot.

But the second guard had no intentions of shooting the slightly dazed man before him. Instead he hollered "Intruders in the garrison" as loud as he could, without taking his eyes off Sheppard.

Teyla knew she had to stop the man before he could repeat his words, rushing the man from his blind spot and taking him down to the ground with a grunt. His weapon discharged with a loud phut and she could only hope that it had missed its intended target as she concentrated her efforts on quickly silencing the Dalerian. The man struggled beneath her but she maintained her weight against his chest and snapped his head back with a fist to his chin, finally knocking the guard out. Sure he was no longer a threat, she pushed herself to her feet and checked on her CO as he forced himself upright.

"Are you okay?" asked Teyla, taking in the bruise that was already developing near his left eye and checking for gunshot wounds.

"I'm fine. His shot missed." replied Sheppard ignoring the disbelief on Teyla's face. His injuries could wait until they were safely back in Atlantis. "Let's grab Clarke and get out of here before we have the whole garrison coming down on us."

The sound of more troops heading their way drifted easily on the night air only to be interrupted by the sharp retort of a P-90 firing. They both knew it wouldn't be long before their position would be severely compromised.

"Teyla, stay here and shoot anything coming our way." He tapped his radio before continuing."Paxton get your team back to the jumpers and be ready to lay down some covering fire. We'll be right behind you."

ooOoo

Teyla nodded and dashed back to the corner of the building. From there she could see Lieutenant Paxton's team as they came under fire. At the Colonel's instructions they changed their direction seamlessly and started moving backwards towards the jumper landing area as they maintained return fire. She could see three dark shapes sprawled on the ground and hoped that they were not members of Paxton's team. She could see the shadows of two more Dalerians as their weapons fire gave their positions away but she knew many more would be joining their number shortly. For the moment it seemed that no-one was paying any attention to the holding cell but she knew that could change at any moment.

ooOoo

Sheppard was in turmoil as he slipped back towards the holding cell. He knew that they need to get out while they still could. He had even given the order for Paxton's team to withdraw but he was afraid to leave in case she was here, held in another cell within the compound. He knew that with the jumpers he had superior weapons but he couldn't afford to risk using the drones without knowing where she and the others were. Given his luck so far any shot he fired would likely kill her. Maybe the Dalerian in the cell knew where she was. He was determined to ask him. Stepping back into the cell he knew what he had to do. He approached the man, his face reflecting his dark mood and determination.

ooOoo

Garius entered the sleeping quarters that he shared with another man of similar age. He longed for the day when his rank would earn him the privilege of a private room. A day that he hoped was not too far into the distant future. For now though he was just grateful that his roommate worked on a different shift rotation now that the patrols had been stepped up with the Ree-Tan attack giving him some much needed peace away from the talkative man.

He sank onto the mattress, glad to be off his feet for the first time since his trip out to the Ancient site. Today had been a long day and he was sure that there would be many more to come. And if he was lucky he would see some action before things quieted down again. He wanted to prove himself to his colleagues and to his superiors and he was sure that he could do so in any battle with the Ree-Tan. He only wished that he could've been involved in the interrogation of the Lantean.

He'd heard from Maran that the man had hardly spoken and of the Ree-Tan he'd said not a word. Not even when he was beaten. But Garius knew it was only a matter of time before the Lantean broke and told them what they wanted to know. Councillor Brille was well known amongst the Enforcers for his ruthless but effective methods. Some took longer than others but in the end they all broke. Garius could only hope that he would get his chance to participate in the process. He wanted the Councillor to see that he could be just as ruthless when required.

Garius stood and removed his weapon, placing it on the small wooden table that sat beside his bed deciding that it was time to get some rest. Tomorrow was bound to be another long day and he would need all of his energy.

Garius entered the small bathroom still deep in thought as he started to prepare for bed. He turned at the sound of shouting followed by weapons fire, shattering the quiet of the evening and any thoughts of his retiring for the evening. He rushed from the room grabbing his weapon as he went. The sounds had come from the direction of the exercise yard not far from the cell block. As he ran, his thoughts went to the prisoner being held there. Had he attempted an escape?

It didn't take long for him to make his way from his room at the back of the sleeping quarters to the front of the building. He cautiously peered through the doorway trying to assess what was happening. The sounds of Dalerian weapons firing could be clearly heard, too many to be from just one weapon.

A sharp noise he didn't recognise cut across the compound followed by one he did, the scream of pain from an injured man. They were under attack. How had the Ree-Tan managed to get passed the guard and into the compound despite all the patrols? And why were they here? Had they learned that there was one Lantean that they had missed in their earlier attack on the Ancient site? If so then they truly had a spy in their midst.

If the Ree-Tan were attacking then they were most likely after the Lantean prisoner. Garius made his decision and headed towards the cell where the man was being held. He moved cautiously hugging the shadows, avoiding the fighting as best he could. He heard more of the sharp noises and noted that it appeared to come from the enemy. It seemed that they had developed a new type of weapon. Perhaps that was why they had chosen to attack now. He slipped by unnoticed and made his way towards the cell building. For once he was happy that the only door was on the other side as anyone there would not see him approach.

ooOoo

Teyla kept her weapon at the ready as she continued to watch the group of Dalerians trying to make their way behind Lieutenant Paxton's men. If they succeeded then she would be the only person left to stop them reaching the cell building. She would not let that happen.

She heard the quiet crunch of a footstep behind her and swung towards the threat with her weapon raised. But she knew she had been too slow as a sharp pain burst through her head and she found herself sliding into darkness.

ooOoo

Garius crouched by the fallen woman checking that she was indeed unconscious before turning towards the cell. He could see that the cross brace had been removed from the door leading him to believe that his suspicions were correct. As he approached he realised that the door stood slightly ajar and he could make out movement inside.

He held his weapon at the ready as he peered through the gap. His eyes widened as he saw Maran over by the wall and another man, equally as tall, stood before him with his back to the door. The prisoner, he noted, was slumped in a heap on the floor, unconscious.

**TBC**

**A/N**: Oh, oh things don't look good. Will Teyla regain consciousness and come to the rescue before Garius can hurt anyone else? Will Sheppard get the answers he so desperately wants and will he get his people out safely? To find out you'll have to wait for the next instalment. So stay tuned as there is some serious action and much whumpage to be dished out to any character that doesn't have the good sense to duck at the right moment or run fast enough. Which with me at the helm could mean pretty much anyone will be on the receiving end but don't worry I plan to return them to the boxes they came in unharmed and whole. I can't speak for the plot bunnies though.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to review, your words encourage me. I would also like to thank everyone else who has made it this far in the story, your continued presence is also encouraging and proof that the show was cancelled way too early. My beta, Nika Dixon, is taking a well earned break at the moment but I didn't want to keep you all waiting so here it is unbetaed. All mistakes are obviously my own and I'll apologise in advance for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 18**

Maran studied the tall,lanky man and the strange weapon that he held. It was obvious that this man was no stranger to battle. His aim never wavered and he kept his distance staying out of arm's reach. It was also obvious that he was no Lantean, yet he kept their company. Was he one of the allies the Lanteans had mentioned in their first visit? If so then Brille may well have chosen the wrong people to deceive since it would appear that the Lanteans and their friends had weapons that were superior to their own and they had will to use them.

Maran turned his attention to the tall, lanky Lantean with the messy hair as he re-entered the cell and approached. He saw the look of determination and knew he had to trust the man before him and hope that he would survive the encounter. He knew he could not abide by Brille's actions anymore but his next step was one that there would be no retreat from.

"Where are the others?" demanded the Lantean.

Answering with the truth would seal his death warrant as far as Brille was concerned and many of his colleagues would feel the same way. But the time had come for him to take action and to try and bring his people back from the disastrous path they were headed down with the Ree-Tan. If his life had to be sacrificed in the process it would be worth it.

ooOoo

Garius could hear the tall Lantean demanding to know where the other Lanteans were being held. He didn't wait to hear if there was any response before he stormed into the cell. He barely had enough time to register that these people were not the Ree-Tan before his weapon was aimed at the tall man's back ready to fire.

ooOoo

"Where are the others?" demanded Sheppard as studied the Dalerian.

The man had not said anything yet and he wasn't sure whether he would even with a threat of violence. The man before him was almost his own height, of similar build and had the hallmarks of a career soldier. It was unlikely he would break and give them the information they were after easily or quickly. And time was running out. So far the battle in the garrison had remained at a distance. But it was unlikely to stay that way. They need the information this man held and they needed it now.

"Answer the question!" snarled Sheppard as his patience ran thin.

He was ready to apply physical pressure to get the answers he wanted but something in the man's eyes told him that it wouldn't be necessary. A decision had been made. Sheppard took a step closer to the man. He was conscious that he was taking a risk, well aware that his assumptions could be wrong. Very wrong but it was too late now to stop taking risks when so much was at stake. Elizabeth's life was worth too much to him not to try.

Sheppard noted the man's eyes as they shifted to look over his shoulder moments before the man's hands were grabbing him and pushing him away. Sheppard took the move as an attack and shoved the hands away as he pushed the man back against the wall. He took a threatening step forward when he heard a loud cracking boom just as a sharp pain blossomed in his left arm and the Dalerian before him cried out in pain. Sheppard's stunned and throbbing brain struggled to comprehend that the attack had come from behind. He heard the familiar sound of Ronon's weapon discharging and trusted that his friend could deal with their attacker whilst he helped the man he was sure could answer his questions.

Sheppard inspected the man's injury grateful to see that it was not life threatening although one glance at the man's face confirmed the pain he was in. Sheppard could sympathise. His headache from the earlier fight had worsened alarmingly thanks to the close range weapons discharge. He was brought back from his distracted thoughts, another bad sign, by the collapse of the Dalerian. He made a grab for him man grunting at the pain that shot through his left arm as he supported the unconscious man's weight.

"You okay?" asked Ronon appearing by his side.

"Yeah," replied Sheppard. He spotted the slumped body of their attacker by the door and realised that the man he held had probably saved his life. He knew if they didn't move soon then it might all be for nothing. More Dalerian military would be headed their way after the racket they had made. They needed to move and quickly. He turned to Ronon and ignored the careful inspection the man was giving him. His own aches and pains could wait. He shifted his burden onto his good shoulder as best he could. "Grab Clarke. This guy's leaving with us."

Sheppard waited until Ronon had lifted the young Sargeant across his shoulders before stepping back out into the night and spotted Teyla's slumped form in the shadows. He feared the worst as he moved towards her. His emotions were already raw and he didn't think he could handle anymore. Enough of his friends and family had been hurt since coming to the Pegasus galaxy. He didn't want one of his closest friends to be among them.

He saw her start to stir as he neared the corner of the building where she lay and felt a moment's relief. But he knew they were far from out of danger yet. He could still hear the sounds of P-90s firing interspersed with the loud noises of the Dalerian weapons. He tapped his earpiece. "Paxton, tell me you're nearly back at the jumpers." The voice he heard was nearly lost under the noise but he could just make out the response that confirmed Paxton's team were nearing the jumpers as expected but under heavy fire. "We're still by the cell block, don't wait for us. We're heading back to jumper one now with three injured. Be ready to depart the moment we arrive. Sheppard out."

He offered Teyla his left hand and hid the grimace as pain shot through his body as he helped pull her to her feet. He could collapse in a heap later when people weren't trying to capture or kill them. He held onto to her until he was sure that she wouldn't collapse again. He could see that she too would be spending some quality time with their friendly physician. A dark bruise already showed on her left cheek and he had noticed the glazed look she had cast in his direction. He didn't doubt that she had a concussion but there wasn't anything they could do about it until they got back to the jumpers.

Sheppard shifted closer to the building and cautiously peered around the corner. He could see Paxton's team as they neared the spot where they had landed the jumpers earlier. He trusted that Paxton would've ordered the jumpers to return to the same spot to retrieve them even though he couldn't remember hearing any such orders. He realised that Teyla wasn't the only with a concussion as he pulled his wandering thoughts back on task and returned his attention to Paxton's men.

One man would lay down covering fire as the others ran towards the jumper before they in turn provided cover. They would reach their destination within minutes and literally disappear into jumper two. Then the Dalerians would turn their focus on the only remaining visible target. Him and his team. He needed his own covering fire to see them safely to jumper one. He grasped his P-90 with his left hand. His aim wouldn't be as good but it would be good enough for his needs.

"Teyla when I start firing I want you to run to the jumper. Can you do that?" asked Sheppard. He hoped that she could as neither he nor Ronon could carry her.

"I will manage," replied Teyla.

Sheppard accepted her reply and turned his attention to the Dalerians. His P-90 felt heavy, its weight pulling at the muscles in his injured shoulder but he ignored it as he started firing. He saw Teyla launch herself towards the jumper, running as fast as she could. She reached it moments later and disappeared from sight as she entered the cloaked jumper. One of his teammates had reached safety. "You're turn, Ronon." He sensed Ronon hesitate beside him and glanced over to find Ronon watching him.

"What about you?" asked Ronon.

"I'll be right behind you, big man. Once you reach the jumper and unload Clarke you can return the favour."

Ronon continued to watch him for a moment before giving a single nod and adjusting his hold on Clarke. Sheppard turned his attention back to the Dalerians and opened fire again grimacing at the effect all the noise was having on his aching head. He continued to fire until he heard the squelch on his radio followed by Teyla's voice announcing Ronon's arrival. Now two were safe, three if you counted Clarke and he did.

ooOoo

Sandler heard the Colonel's conversation with Paxton on the radio and glanced across at the nervous doctor beside him. He longed to help his teammates but the Colonel had given him strict orders to protect Doctor Beckett and that was what he intended to do. It didn't stop the longing though and maybe he could do something about it whilst still obeying his orders.

He stood from his seat and moved towards the top of the ramp, his weapon in his hands. He saw Teyla running towards him and managed to catch her as she stumbled on the ramp. "Doc, give me a hand." He felt her body go limp as she passed out. Beckett joined him and between the two of them they placed her on one of the bench seats in the rear of the jumper. Sandler stepped back as the doctor began checking her injuries, the nervous look no longer present as the man busied himself in his work.

Sandler's attention was drawn by the sounds of heavy feet hitting the ramp and he turned to see Ronon approaching with an unconscious man draped over his shoulders. He rushed forward to help Ronon lower the injured man to the second bench seat, recognising the battered face of Sargeant Clarke.

"Take care of him," instructed Ronon before moving back to the rear of the vessel.

Sandler made Clarke as comfortable as he could even as he heard the Satedan's weapon firing. It took him only a moment to realise that there wasn't much that he could do for the injured man other than watch over him until Beckett could spare the time to check him over. And he didn't really see the point in that.

He stood and made his way to the back of the jumper in time to see a man moving behind his CO. There was no time to warn him and Ronon was busy. Sandler saw Sheppard dash out from the shadows just as the man raised his weapon aiming it at Sheppard's back. Sandler raised his own weapon and aimed it at the Dalerian switching the weapon to single-fire. Time seemed to slow down as his finger gently squeezed the trigger. He felt the recoil from the P-90 at the same time that he saw the muzzle flash of the Dalerian's weapon a fraction and then the man was collapsing. His bullet had found the target but he'd been too slow. His eyes tracked to where he expected to see the body of his CO laying broken on the ground.

ooOoo

Sheppard saw Ronon's head and shoulder reappear at the rear of the jumper as he laid down blaster fire. Sheppard didn't need a written invitation to know it was time to move. He hefted the unconscious Dalerian into a more secure hold before darting out of the shadows. A ten second dash and he too would be in the relative safety of jumper one.

Sheppard heard the weapons fire from behind and the overlapping sound of a P-90 coming from the jumper. He felt something tug at his sleeve before he felt the burning pain in his left arm and realisation dawned. He'd been shot, again. He spun round searching for a target only to see the Dalerian guard fall to the ground.

"Move it Sheppard," yelled Ronon.

Sheppard turned back towards the jumper to see Sandler signalling him to move it as Ronon returned to his firing on the enemy. He didn't need telling twice. He ran as fast as he could with the burden across his shoulders barely slowing as his feet hit the slope of the ramp.

He unloaded the prisoner onto the floor finding one bench seat occupied by Clarke and the other by Teyla. He glanced at her bruised and pale face, glad to see her conscious.

She gave him a small smile, "I will be fine, Colonel."

Sheppard nodded and quickly made his way to the front of the jumper dropping heavily into the pilot's seat, feeling tired and sore. He triggered the radio as he closed the hatch and prepared the jumper for departure. "Report Paxton."

"We have two injuries but we are all safely onboard jumper two, sir. "

"Well done, Lieutenant. Time to go home," replied Sheppard as he took the jumper into the air and in the direction of the Stargate. His thoughts returned to the people he hadn't rescued. He knew there had been the possibility that they weren't being held at the compound but he had truly hoped that their perennial bad luck had changed for once. He should've known better he supposed.

He pulled his mind away from his dark thoughts and refocused on getting his team home. He turned to call over his shoulder and was surprised to see Sandler sat in the co-pilot's seat. When had the young marine entered the forward section, maybe he was more beat than he thought.

"You okay?' asked Ronon from his seat behind Sandler.

Sheppard noticed that Ronon was watching him closely. "Yeah I'm fine. How's Clarke?"

Ronon shrugged and looked towards the rear of the jumper.

"I cannae be sure until I get him back to Atlantis, Colonel, but I think he'll be fine. Although it'll be a wee while before he'll agree. He'll have a nasty headache when he comes to and he'll be spending several days in my company," replied Beckett.

"And Teyla?"

"I am fine, Colonel," protested Teyla.

"Doc?"

"She has a mild concussion, Colonel," replied Beckett as he bent to check the unconscious man on the floor.

Sheppard turned his attention back to flying them home. He could feel his muscles stiffening already as the adrenalin left his system, adding to his throbbing head and arm. He suspected that Teyla and Clarke wouldn't be the only ones spending the night in the infirmary once Carson got a chance to perform his post-mission check. And for once he didn't think he'd fight him on it. He knew he need to rest and get his injuries treated if he was to have any hope of Beckett letting him continue his search for Elizabeth and the others. And he was determine to continue until he found her.

Minutes later the Stargate came into view on the horizon. Sandler dialled the gate, sending his IDC. Once the wormhole stabilised he opened a radio channel and requested a medical team meet them in the jumper bay.

ooOoo

Sheppard waited until the unconscious men were lifted onto gurneys before pushing himself stiffly from the pilot's seat and starting for the exit. He felt a strong hand on his arm to steady him when he stumbled and looked up to see Ronon in his path.

"I'm okay big guy."

"I'll be the judge of that Colonel," stated Carson as he handed off Clarke to his staff and turned to face Sheppard. "I want all of ya in the infirmary for a post mission check and that includes you Colonel."

Sheppard knew that Carson would come looking for him if he didn't comply and right now he had no desire to disobey. Aside from the fact that his body was reminding him of the abuse it had received, Clarke and their prisoner would both in the infirmary and he intended to keep an eye on them. Hopefully one of them could give him the information he needed to find the others and get them back to safety.

He followed his team mates down the ramp conscious that Ronon was hovering by his side ready to catch him should he stumble again. It was touching but he was determined to make it under his own steam. He didn't want Carson thinking he wasn't up for as many missions as it took to find Elizabeth and the others and bring them home.

He spotted Rodney approaching and saw the shocked expression on his face. Obviously he looked the same way he felt which didn't bode well for convincing Carson that he was okay. Finally his friend found his voice and asked the question he knew was coming. The ones he wished he had an answer for.

"Where are the others? Where is Elizabeth?"

Teyla placed a calming hand on Rodney's arm as she answered him. "We do not know. They were not in the same cell and we did not have time to explore the compound."

"But we did bring back a prisoner," added Sheppard.

"Great what makes you think he'll tell us anything worthwhile," replied Rodney.

"Just a hunch," stated Sheppard as he passed Rodney on his way to his appointment with Beckett.

"What hunch?" asked Rodney, baffled.

"He saved Sheppard's life," replied Ronon as he fell in beside his CO resuming his watch over the tired and injured man.

Rodney stared after the pair for a moment before he closed his mouth and trotted to catch up with them.

ooOoo

Weir suddenly woke from her nightmare only to find it still dark. She had dreamt of the session with Jaymar, only this time John was present and he was the one being tortured when she wouldn't agree to help the Ree-Tan. It had felt so real but she knew it wasn't. She didn't know if she would have the strength to refuse Jaymar's demands if it meant saving his life. She hoped she'd never find out. It was going to be bad enough knowing that if she failed in her negotiations that Lorne and Jenkins would pay the price. She doubted that she could live with herself if the man she loved was here in their place.

She shifted and tried to find a more comfortable position on the hard floor, failing miserably only managing to waken her bruises. She hissed at the renewed discomfort, giving up on finding a pain free position to sleep in.

"Ma'am?"

She realised he must've been awake already, keeping a watch over them just like John would if he were here. "Go to sleep, Major."

"Yes, ma'am."

She knew Lorne would ignore her just as John would. She smiled at the impact John Sheppard had made on his men in the short time they'd been in Atlantis and found herself able to drift back off to sleep confident that a rescue would come. John never left anyone behind and he wouldn't start now.

**TBC**

**A/N**: Will Maran really help the Lanteans and betray his fellow Enforcers? Can Sheppard find Elizabeth and will he be in time to save her from Jaymar? Or will she be able to win her own freedom through negotiation? To find out you'll have to wait for the next instalment. In the meantime why not post a review and let me know what you think of the story so far. I really don't bite and I don't whump real people. I save that for my characters as you may have noticed by now.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to review, your words encourage me. I would also like to thank everyone who is still reading this story for your patience. The plot bunnies have been busy over Christmas and changed the direction of the story but I'm sure all of you whumpaholics will be happy as there is an extra dose planned for some of our favourite characters. Hopefully it will make up for the long delay between the last chapter and this one.

Nika Dixon is still busily trying to finalise her second novel so this chapter is unbetaed (is that a word?). All mistakes are obviously my own and I'll apologise in advance for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 19**

The sound that woke him was all too familiar. He had heard it nearly every day since joining the Enforcers. Normally it would fill him with a sense of pride but not this time. This time the sound could mean only one thing. They were under attack. Obviously the Ree-Tan had grown bold with their success at the Ancient site and now thought they could take on the garrison.

He pushed the covers back and climbed from his bed, sparing a glance for the young woman who shared his bed. She was awake, watching him with frightened eyes as he quickly dressed. There would be many frightened people in the village tonight.

"Stay here, woman. You will be safe enough," warned Brille as he strapped on his weapon belt and checked his weapon.

He left the bedroom and went downstairs to find the men assigned to protect his abode. He heard voices coming from the side entrance and entered the room in time to see one of the men disappearing into the street with his weapon drawn.

"Check on the men patrolling the grounds. We must assume that the Ree-Tan are responsible and that they may attempt an attack on Councillor Brille. Anyone who does not have good reason to be within the grounds of this abode is to be detained for questioning even if they claim to be Dalerian. Is that understood, Tiran?" asked the taller man.

"Yes, Squadmaster" replied Tiran.

Brille approached the tall man as Tiran left. "What is happening, Hyrus?"

Hyrus turned at the sound of the Councillor's voice and replied, "It appears that the barracks are under attack, sire. I have sent a man there to investigate and report back. I have also instructed the Council guard to detain anyone entering your grounds."

"Good. Has there been any attack on the village?"

"No, sire."

He wanted to join his men at the barracks, as their leader it was his duty, but rushing in blindly could prove fatal; it was better to wait until the man Hyrus had sent returned. He moved closer to the window as he listened to the attack. He knew how the sound would echo around the stone buildings making it impossible to determine the size of the attack force with any accuracy but habits were hard to quell.

The silence when it came was sudden but not unexpected. Brille knew that their attackers could just be regrouping but his instincts told him otherwise. He was confident that his forces had stopped the Ree-Tan threat and would be reporting that fact in person shortly.

ooOoo

Garius' eyes snapped open in a panic, memories of the attack flooding back; an image of Maran being questioned by the Lantean and his own arm rising to fire upon the Lantean then a flash of red moments before his limbs froze and he was plunged into darkness. His limbs felt leaden and ached painfully but he had long ago learned to ignore pain and he knew he could ignore it now when he had expected to never wake again.

He pushed himself upright and scanned the cell looking for his fallen weapon. He found it quickly, checking that it was undamaged as he moved towards the cell door. He doubted that the Lanteans were laying in wait for him. They would be keen to get the prisoner and Maran back to their own world and he had no intentions of letting that happen. He paused by the open doorway seeing the young cell block guard laying on the ground nearby in a pool of blood, his eyes still open but unseeing. The sight angered him but years of training had taught him to use that anger to focus his mind on his enemy.

He raised his weapon and moved out into the open. He spotted two more men on the ground, groaning as they started to recover from the attack, but there was no sign of the Lanteans or of Maran. _How long was I unconscious?_ He realised that he could no longer hear any weapons fire. Instead the sounds of angry, defeated men echoed around the compound, telling him that the battle was over; that the Lanteans had gotten away. Obviously he had been unconscious too long.

He sagged back against the cell wall as he replayed the images in his mind. _How could I have missed the Lantean with my shot?_ He remembered aiming at the Lantean's back and pulling the trigger. His aim was true; he should not have missed. He never missed, not from such a close range. And he hadn't he realised, as his mind continued to replay the memory. Maran had pushed the man away. He had seen the weapon aimed at the Lantean and pushed the man out of the way. He had chosen to save a Lantean and that made him a traitor. His absence now only enforced that idea. He must have left with the enemy and with him he had taken valuable knowledge. He needed to inform Councillor Brille.

ooOoo

Sheppard sat on the gurney and watched as Beckett used the Ancient scanner on Teyla. The flight back from Daleria had been quick and uneventful once they had left the compound but still they were no closer to finding Elizabeth. He was beginning to wonder if they ever would. He'd already lost too many people in his life that mattered to him. He didn't want to lose anymore especially not Elizabeth. He suspected that if he lost her that he would shatter; that he wouldn't be able to carry on. He had always managed to push his emotions into a tiny little box at the back of his mind marked 'Do not open' but he strongly doubted that that would work this time. She was too much a part of who he was. He wouldn't even be in this galaxy or be a Lt Colonel if it wasn't for her. She'd given him his life back and stolen his heart in the process.

He looked over to where Keller was working on Sargeant Clarke. He hoped that the young marine would regain consciousness and tell them what he knew but he doubted that he would get so lucky. He'd seen the bruises on the young man's face and knew he'd taken a severe beating. It was unlikely that he would wake up anytime soon and if he did, Sheppard doubted he'd make much sense. Keller had already run the scanner over him and Sheppard had overheard Keller telling Beckett that Clarke had a skull fracture.

He shifted his attention from Clarke to the Dalerian that had undoubtedly saved his life. He too was unconscious as Dr Biro checked his injuries. The man had taken a bullet that was meant for him so he would give him the benefit of the doubt and not assume that he was responsible for Clarke's injuries. As he watched Dr Biro wheeled the man through to surgery. There was no rush so Sheppard assumed that the injury was not life threatening despite the volume of blood that the Dalerian had lost. Maybe he would be able to speak with the man once he was in recovery. Maybe he could tell him where Elizabeth and the others were and maybe he could explain why they had been taken in the first place.

His turned his attention back to Teyla, ignoring Rodney's watchful eyes. He'd noticed the worried look on Rodney's face when he first stepped out of the jumper covered in the Dalerian's blood. He had tried to reassure his friend but he doubted it had worked. He knew nothing he said now would change that worry and he didn't have the energy to try again. He knew Ronon was also stood nearby watching his back as he always did even though it wasn't really needed in the infirmary. The only possible threat was from the Dalerian and he would be too far under an anaesthetic at the moment to be of any real danger. But he knew nothing he said would make Ronon leave his side until Beckett had checked them all out and declared them okay. At least that was what he was hoping Beckett would do. Right now he knew he was in less than stellar condition and he suspected that Beckett might be inclined to put him in restraints and never release him again. He didn't blame the man but there was no way he was staying in the infirmary as a patient again, not while Elizabeth was still missing.

Beckett completed the scan and nodded to the nurse. "Go ahead and get Teyla set up for an overnight stay."

"How is Teyla?" asked Sheppard as Carson approached.

"As I suspected she has a mild concussion. She'll be fine with some rest in the meantime she can expect to spend the night with us. Now, lad, let me get a look at you."

Carson felt around the bruising on his face before reaching for his penlight. "Feeling any dizziness or nausea?"

"No," replied Sheppard. He instinctively pulled back when the bright light shone in his eye making his headache spike only for Carson to pull him back and flash the light into his other eye with the same result. The expression on Carson's face told him he wasn't happy with him but at least there wasn't a lecture this time. He didn't think his headache could handle it and he wasn't about to admit to one although he suspected Carson knew anyway. He always seemed to somehow.

Sheppard realised he'd zoned out for a moment when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Carson and saw the worry there. "What?"

"I asked if any of this blood is yours, Colonel?"

"No it's the-"

"He was shot in the arm."

Sheppard glared at Ronon before returning his attention to Carson. "It's just a scratch. It doesn't even hurt." A yelp escaped his lips as a heavy hand clamped him on the left arm right over the scratch.

"A scratch, eh Colonel. Seems like a wee bit more than a scratch. Now let me take a look." Carson helped Sheppard out of his shirt and t-shirt before he checked the wound. "You're lucky Colonel. The bullet passed clean through missing the bone. A couple of stitches, some antibiotics and rest and it should be good as new. Now I need you to lay back for the scanner so I can check that thick head of yours."

Sheppard did as he was told and closed his eyes against the bright infirmary lights while he waited. He'd get his revenge on Ronon later, maybe stick him with baby-sitting duty. He knew watching over the scientist for hours on end drove Ronon nuts so he figured that would be a fair payback for dobbing him in to Carson. Sheppard knew he was destined to spend the night in the infirmary along with Teyla. He'd been planning on doing so anyway, he just hadn't planned on spending the night in bed. Instead he had planned to sit with the Dalerian so that he'd be there when the man woke.

Sheppard felt a hand touch his shoulder and opened his eyes to find Carson and Rodney both leaning over him. Rodney looked worried and even Carson looked concerned. _What happened?_

"Colonel?"

"What's wrong with him, Carson?" asked Rodney.

"He's tired, Rodney. I should've never let him go," replied Beckett. "You back with us, lad?"

"Not your fault, doc. I would've gone anyway," stated Sheppard, squinting his eyes at the harsh infirmary lights that were causing his headache to spike again.

"Aye, lad, that you would but you'll not be getting out of here again so easily. You'll be my guest overnight at the very least. Now let's get you under the scanner and see what damage you've done to yerself this time."

ooOoo

Garius followed Squadmaster Hyrus into the private quarters of Councillor Brille. He'd never seen such finery and so many objects of decoration before and he couldn't help but stare at them as he was led into a sitting room. The Councillor turned from the window and studied him. He knew he probably looked the same way he felt after being shot and laying unconscious in the dirt for a while. His arms still ached from whatever that device was that the Lantean had used.

"You wanted to see me, Garius?" asked Brille.

"Yes, sire. I have a matter of utmost importance to report."

Garius knew he was doing the right thing but he was worried that Brille would blame him for the Lanteans making good their escape. He'd heard tales of the things that Brille did to people that crossed him.

"Well, what is it, boy."

"The attack on the compound, sire. It was the Lanteans." He could see that he had Brille's full attention now. "I saw them. There were several of them over by the cell. They had broken in and were rescuing the prisoner. I tried to stop them but there were too many of them for one person to fight."

"And you are sure they were Lantean?"

"Yes, sire. I recognised their uniforms. They were the same as the prisoner's. Their leader was a tall man with dark hair. I tried to kill him and would've succeeded if it had not been for the traitor."

Brille frowned at Garius' words. "What traitor?"

"Maran. He was in the cell and he pushed the Lantean out of my line of fire. Before I could try again one of the Lanteans shot me with a strange weapon the like of which I have never seen before. When I came to, the Lanteans were gone and so was Maran. I believe he went with them. I thought you should know, sire."

"You did the right thing, Garius and you will be rewarded for your honesty, bravery and service to Daleria."

ooOoo

Brille followed Garius to the door and signalled for Hyrus to join him. "I want you to organise two squads to guard the portal. It was not the Ree-Tan attacking the compound, it was the Lanteans. I do not want any of them escaping back to Atlantis or any more of them coming through to look for the others."

"Yes, sire."

Brille considered his next move as he poured himself a drink. Things were escalating and he needed to regain control. In the morning he would finalise his plan of attack on the Ree-Tan village and retrieve the remaining Lanteans by force. They would be put to work on the Ancient weapon using whatever threats were necessary to speed the process. Then he would be able to rid his world of the Ree-Tan and of any threat posed by the Lanteans. The dead Lantean would provide the necessary biological sample for their targeting needs.

Brille smiled to himself as he finished his drink and headed back upstairs to the young woman in his bed.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Will Maran give John the answers he needs? Will Brille succeed in his plans to destroy the Ree-Tan and the Lanteans? And will Carson ever let Sheppard leave the relative safety of Atlantis again? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in future chapters so why not sign up for a free chapter alert today.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author****'****s Note:** I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to review, your words encourage me. I would also like to thank those that continue to read this story. This chapter has not be reviewed by my beta, Nika Dixon, who is busy with her second novel – True Deceit. All mistakes are obviously my own and I'll apologise in advance for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 20**

Sheppard slowly became aware of the rhythmic clacking sound that came from his right. The sound was both familiar and annoying at the same time for he knew it meant that he was still in the infirmary. He cracked his eyes open, confirming his suspicions when he saw his friend perched on one of the infirmary chairs, tapping away at his laptop, oblivious to anything else.

"Hey."

Rodney stopped his work and looked across to see Sheppard's eyes open. "Colonel, you're awake."

"Very observant, Rodney. How are Teyla and the others?" asked Sheppard feeling the pinch of an IV as he scrubbed a hand across his face.

"Teyla's resting, Beckett says she'll be fine," replied Rodney.

"Good."

"Clarke's been in and out of it. Ronon's spoken to him but said he didn't make much sense. Paxton's men have been released already. That leaves you, as usual. I don't think Carson's ever letting you out of his sight again. Not when you come back damaged every time."

"What about the Dalerian?"

"Sleeping. He was conscious for a few minutes. Long enough to cough up the contents of his stomach all over the place before falling asleep again. Carson wouldn't let Conan question him. He should be awake soon though." replied Rodney as he checked his watch.

"How long was I out for?"

"Several hours. Long enough for me to add several lines to the formulae I'm working on."

"You should try sleeping sometime, Rodney."

"I did but then I had this idea. It was brilliant really-"

"Colonel, how are you feeling?" asked Carson pulling his penlight from his pocket as he approached.

"Much better, Carson."

Carson flashed the penlight in each eye before straightening. "Aye and you look much better too. Feel up to some breakfast?"

"Yeah then can I leave?"

Carson sighed, "Yes, lad then you can leave although I suspect you won't be going far. Our guest should be waking in the next hour or so and I suspect you'll be wanting to question him."

ooOoo

Carson had kept his word and released him once he'd finished his breakfast. That had been nearly an hour ago. An hour in which he'd had plenty of time to think and to study the Dalerian as he continued to sleep. He looked no older than his mid thirties and his face looked relaxed. Sheppard replayed the images from the day before when the Dalerian had looked much less relaxed. He had looked like he was making a decision, an important decision. And Sheppard suspected that the man had made that decision in their favour moments before he was shot. He felt certain he was right and that this man had decided that the Lanteans were not the enemy. He just wished he could be certain that the Dalerian could tell him where the others were, where Elizabeth was.

He sat forward in his seat when he noticed the Dalerian stir. Maybe he would have his answers soon. He heard footsteps and glanced over his shoulder to see Ronon approach.

"Has he woken yet?"

"No but he's starting to, I think." replied Sheppard.

The Dalerian shifted position again before opening his eyes. Sheppard noticed and moved over to the bed. He watched as the Dalerian's eyes swung round to look at him.

"Where am I?"

"Atlantis. I'm Lt Colonel John Sheppard and this is Ronon Dex. You saved my life, thanks."

The Dalerian glanced at Ronon before returning his attention to Sheppard. "My name is Maran. I am... was an Enforcer."

"Was?" queried Sheppard.

"Now I am a traitor to the Chief Master, Councillor Brille. By saving your life I have forfeited my own but I do not regret it. How is your man?"

"Sargeant Clarke will be fine in a few days," replied Sheppard.

"No thanks to you," added Ronon earning himself a glare from Sheppard.

"I am sorry. I would not have stopped him from entering the portal if I thought Brille would order me to treat him so badly."

Ronon lunged forward and Sheppard blocked him with his good arm. He understood Ronon's anger, he felt it himself after seeing what had been done to Clarke but he needed to learn what the Dalerian knew and letting Ronon seek his revenge wouldn't help with that.

"Easy Chewie. We need him in one piece." Sheppard watched his friend until he calmed down and backed off before he lowered his arm and returned his attention to Maran. "So why did you beat him? Was it for trying to escape?"

Maran glanced nervously towards Ronon before returning his attention to Sheppard. "No. He was not trying to escape, not from us. Brille knew that you would come looking for your people once they failed to return. He wanted your Sargeant Clarke to report that they had been taken by the Wraith during a culling but he refused. No-one refuses the Councillor."

"Why does he want our people so badly?" asked Sheppard.

"He needs them to gain access to the Ancient weapon."

Sheppard frowned at Maran's answer. "I don't get it. We were helping him anyway. Why kidnap our people?"

"No, no Brille is guilty of many things but he did not take your people. The Ree-Tan did."

"Who are the Ree-Tan?" asked Ronon.

Sheppard noticed Maran wince as he shifted position, obviously the painkillers were starting to wear off which meant that Carson wouldn't be far away. He wanted to get his answers before Carson made an appearance with the man's next dose. He knew from his own experience just how sleepy the good drugs would make the Dalerian and he wasn't prepared to wait for several more hours for his answers.

Maran sighed before replying. "The Ree-Tan are the natural inhabitants of the planet you know as Daleria. My people invaded the planet many generations ago and forced the Ree-Tan to live their lives as refugees on their own world. Recently they have begun to fight back. Brille intends to stop them by using the Ancient weapon to destroy them. Without your people he cannot do that."

"Do you know where we can find these Ree-Tan?" asked Sheppard.

"I do, as do all Enforcers. The Ree-Tan have a village several miles beyond the Great Wall. It cannot be breached on foot. The Great Wall was built many years ago to protect the Dalerians from Ree-Tan attacks."

Ronon snorted, "So how'd they get through? The Ree-Tan."

"We do not know. Enforcers were sent to patrol the Wall but still the Ree-Tan have gotten through."

"Where is this Great Wall?" asked Sheppard.

"It is far beyond the Ancient site where the sun rises in the morning." replied Maran.

Sheppard could see that the man was tiring and in pain but he had one last question to ask. "Why are you helping us, Maran? Why are you so willing to betray your people."

Dark brown eyes swung round to meet his. "It is Councillor Brille who betrays my people much as his predecessors have done. We were once a proud people with a vast population before we destroyed our own world with our greed and our technological development. We are not all like Brille. I want us to be a proud people again. I am sure that there are other worlds where we could settle and start over again without the threat of the Ree-Tan and without the need to destroy them."

"Time for his medication and some rest, I'm afraid Colonel," interrupted Carson as he approached the bed.

Sheppard moved out of the way and let Beckett in to check his patient. Maran appeared to be genuine but it wouldn't be the first time that they had been fooled by residents of the Pegasus galaxy. What he had said made sense though, so he was inclined to believe the man until he had information that said he should do otherwise. He made a decision and looked back at the injured man to find his brown eyes watching him. "If everything works out then we may be able to help you and your people find another planet."

"I and my people would be grateful," replied Maran quietly before drifting off into a drug-induced sleep.

ooOoo

Ronon followed his team leader as he headed towards Clarke's cubicle. "You should not trust him so readily."

"Don't worry, I plan to check out his story." Sheppard was disappointed to find the young Sargeant fast asleep. He had been hoping to ask him some questions that could help verify Maran's claims.

"How?"

Sheppard turned around to face Ronon. "A quick recon with a cloaked jumper should confirm the existence of the Ree-Tan village and this Great Wall."

"I hope you're not planning on flying the jumper yerself, Colonel." stated Carson as he came in to check his other patient.

"It's only a recon flight, Carson."

"I don't care if it's a circuit of Atlantis, you're not cleared to fly. You'll have to send someone else."

Sheppard saw the determined look on Carson's face and knew that he wasn't going to change his mind. "Fine, you win."

ooOoo

Sheppard tapped his headset as he exited the infirmary, "Lt Paxton meet me in the conference room in 25 minutes."

Paxton was a competent jumper pilot now all he needed was to make sure that the data gathered from the recon mission could be recorded for him to view on their return. He needed to see what they were dealing with and visuals were better than verbal reports every time. He headed towards the nearest transporter sure that he knew where he could find his next target at this time of day.

He could hear McKay's raised voice from halfway down the corridor as he approached the lab and he didn't sound happy. He felt sorry for the poor scientist who was on the receiving end of McKay's sharp tongue this time. Unless it was Kavanaugh of course.

He rounded the final corner in time to see a young man scurrying away as quickly as he could. _Not Kavanaugh then_, thought Sheppard, _Pity_. He sucked in a breath and steeled himself for an icy reception before stepping into McKay's domain but he need not have worried. McKay's mood had changed the moment he'd returned his attention to his own work. Sheppard leaned casually against the bench and waited. It didn't surprise him that McKay hadn't noticed his presence, he knew that the man could lose himself completely in his work and forget to sleep or eat if someone else didn't remind him. The man could be a danger to himself but he was invaluable to Atlantis and he had become invaluable to him as a friend since they had met in Antartica. He smiled to himself at the memory. What are friends for?

Sheppard straightened. "McKay!"

McKay jerked back from his laptop in fright as Sheppard watched him with an amused expression plastered on his face. Toying with his friend never grew old.

"Are you trying to kill me, Colonel?" asked Rodney, his expression turning into a scowl when he spotted Sheppard.

"No just trying to get your attention." replied Sheppard.

"Right and announcing your presence in the normal way is beyond your social skills," snarked Rodney.

"My way's better," replied Sheppard before changing the subject. "We have a possible lead on Elizabeth and the others. I need you to set up one of the jumpers so that we can record a scan of the village where we think they could be held. Can you do that?"

Rodney straightened his back and replied, "Child's play, give me twenty minutes. How'd you convince Carson to let you go back to Daleria?" Rodney moved around his lab gathering tools and pieces of equipment as he went, handing several items to Sheppard as he went.

"I didn't," replied Sheppard not caring that Rodney could hear the disappointment in his voice. He sighed before he continued, "Lt Paxton is going, that's why I want the video."

Rodney grabbed one last item from his bench and turned to face his friend. "That's everything."

ooOoo

Rodney entered the jumper and made his way to the cockpit not bothering to check whether Sheppard was following him or not. He dumped his gear on the co-pilot's seat and bent down to access the panel underneath the co-pilot's console quickly burying himself in his task.

"Where do you want this stuff?" asked Sheppard.

"Anywhere," replied Rodney. He'd heard the disappointment in Sheppard's voice earlier. It hadn't surprised him, he'd long ago realised that Sheppard took his responsibilities seriously often pushing himself to exhaustion to protect his friends and colleagues. He knew it was hard for his friend to sit back and wait whilst others completed the tasks and took the risks that he felt were his to take. Not for the first time he wondered what had happened in Sheppard's past to make him so willing to risk his own life for everyone else and so unwilling to let anyone else return the favour.

"How's it coming?" asked Sheppard.

Rodney nearly jumped out of his skin, he'd forgotten that Sheppard was still there. "Fine. I hope you appreciate me ruining my back down here."

"You do realise a hard surface is supposed to be good for your back, don't you?"

"And who told you that nonsense," replied Rodney as he finished connecting the wires into the console and pushed himself upright with a grunt. He was certain his back would never be the same again. "Now let's see if this works." He grabbed his data-pad and started tapping on the screen.

"Well?"

"Keep your pants on, Colonel," replied Rodney as he continued to study the screen before him, occasionally tapping another option. A few seconds later he looked up with a triumphant smile. "Done. You now have video."

"Good. Thanks Rodney." Sheppard glanced at his watch.

"You weren't timing me were you?" asked Rodney following his friend as he turned to leave the jumper.

"I've a briefing with Paxton in a few minutes."

"Oh." Rodney quickened his pace. He'd already made up his mind. He had tested the video feed and knew it would work but there was always the chance for things to go wrong once they were in the field. He knew Sheppard wouldn't like it but he didn't intend to give him a choice, he wasn't the only one who took his responsibilities seriously. "Mind if I join you?"

"You're not going, Rodney."

"Yes I am. Look that video feed is just a quick patch, it could stop working at any time."

Sheppard spun Rodney round to face him. "Send someone else then. You're not going."

"I'm the one who can fix it the quickest," replied Rodney, standing his ground, "I'm going and you're not talking me out of it this time, Colonel. I care about them too."

Sheppard continued to study him before he finally turned back towards the conference room with an audible sigh. "Fine, but don't blame me if you get your arse shot off."

ooOoo

Lt Paxton stood as Sheppard entered the conference room with Rodney in tow. "At ease, Lt."

Sheppard moved to the head of the table and sat down. "Lt I need you to take a jumper back to Daleria for a recon mission. McKay is going with you. He-"

"Sorry I'm late," interrupted Ronon as he entered the conference room and took up a seat opposite Sheppard, stretching out his long limbs and crossing his arms across his chest.

"You weren't invited," responded Sheppard.

"If McKay's going, I'm going."

"What is this? A mutiny?" asked Sheppard in exasperation.

"Brille will know it was us that attacked the compound by now. He'll have a guard on the gate," replied Ronon.

Sheppard considered Ronon's comment and nodded his agreement, "Good point. " Sheppard turned back to the Lt. "McKay is going with you to record video of what you see. The Dalerians may be expecting us to return but they still don't know that we have jumpers. If you stay cloaked you should be able to get passed any guard that they may have in place. Coming back may be different, use whatever force you have to, Lt."

"Yes, sir. What's my target?"

"A village to the east of the Ancient site. All we know is that it is some distance beyond some great wall. I want you to check the lay of the land, look for landing spots nearby where we can get a number of jumpers in, where the buildings are placed and where the people are. Look for any defences and where are the likely spots for any prisoners to be held."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed, Lt and good luck"

"Thank you, sir." replied Paxton as he left the conference room followed by Rodney.

Sheppard lowered his gaze to the table as his thoughts drifted back to Elizabeth and the last time he'd seen her.

"We'll find her."

Sheppard looked up to find Ronon stood in the doorway watching him. _Am I that obvious?_ "I hope so, Ronon." was all he could say in return. Ronon watched him for a moment longer before nodding to himself and following after the others. Sheppard leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He hated being the one stuck in Atlantis waiting for others to do what he thought he should be doing. He needed a distraction, one that wouldn't get him into more trouble with Carson. Maybe he'd visit Teyla and see how she was doing. She always knew how to stop him from wallowing in his own self-pity for too long. He pushed himself from the table and headed out to find his Athosian friend.

**TBC**

**A/N:** At last Sheppard has some hint as to where his Elizabeth may be but can it be that simple? What trouble can Rodney and Ronon expect returning to Daleria now that the Dalerian people have had a chance to prepare themselves against any retaliation from the Lanteans? Can they really sneak in to gather the information for Sheppard without being detected by the Ree-Tan? And can Weir hang on long enough to give them the chance? If you want to know the answers then you'll just have to keep on reading. We still have a ways to go yet and there is plenty of action, danger and whump to come. Oh yes siree I'm not finished with them yet and neither are the plot bunnies that have returned in full force.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author****'****s Note:** Thanks everyone; for reading this story, for leaving a review or adding it to your favourites. Thanks also to Nika Dixon whose past guidance has been invaluable. Any mistakes were always my own but since I'm flying solo these days I hope that not too many make it through. Of course if they do I'll blame the computer for not knowing to capture what I meant, not what I typed.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately I don't own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. If I did I'd be more motivated to go to work each day. I do own my original characters and the plot line. Oh well can't have everything I guess. Pity.

**Chapter 21**

The sun sat low on the horizon casting long shadows of the men guarding the gate. It had been several hours since the attack on the Enforcer compound and it would be a few more before the relief squad were due. Several hours of doing nothing but watch and wait whilst others at least had the opportunity to hunt for trespassing Ree-Tan.

Several of the men were gathered in a huddle gambling away their earnings to pass the time, confident that the sounds of the portal would alert them to intruders in enough time. A few Dalerians stood guard on the perimeter aware that the Ree-Tan could be nearby waiting for an opportunity to strike. It was well known among the squads that the Ree-Tan wanted nothing better than to kill all of the Dalerian men and to take all of the Dalerian women as their own.

The sound of the portal initiating brought the men out of their huddle and into defensive positions surrounding the gate. They waited with their weapons at the ready as the chevrons locked into place one by one until all were locked and the portal open with its usual splash. They waited for someone to step through. They knew the portal would shut down soon automatically if no-one came through.

ooOoo

"Is the video set to roll, Dr McKay?" asked Lt Paxton.

"Already rolling, Lieutenant," replied Rodney from the co-pilot's seat.

"Okay, let's go do this." A slight shimmer crossed the viewport as Paxton cloaked the jumper before entering the event horizon. Moments later he was dodging weapons fire from the ground as he quickly flew the jumper on a steep incline and out of the reach of the Dalerians. "Shit! How did they know we came through?"

"They probably saw the ripple we made," replied Rodney as he checked the instruments before him. They didn't need any serious damage to the jumper before they'd even begun. "Looks like we sustained minor damage only."

"Good,"replied Ronon.

"Leaving could be interesting," added Paxton. "If they know something came through the gate then they'll expect us again when we dial the gate to leave."

"What about the drones?" asked Ronon.

"Sheppard did authorise any force necessary," replied Rodney.

"He did," added Paxton. "But if they are too close to the gate then we risk damaging the gate as well or sending shrapnel through to Atlantis."

"Wouldn't stop Sheppard," stated Ronon.

"Well I doubt he'd appreciate it if we blew up the only chance of rescuing Weir and the others," added Rodney.

"There's the Ancient site," interrupted Paxton.

Rodney focused his attention on the sight through the viewport instantly recognising the style of architecture that was singularly Ancient. From the air he could see that the site was quite small when compared to Atlantis but then if it was a weapon it didn't really need to be very big. Many Earth weapons he knew were small compared to the devastation they could cause. Heck the nuclear bomb he'd built as a kid was pretty damn small but it could wipe out a substantial area and its population along with it. He wondered how powerful the Ancient weapon truly was. If it could wipe out an entire race such as the Ree-Tan then it could prove very useful in fighting the Wraith.

He turned his attention to his data pad and called up the energy readings.

"Anything?" asked Ronon.

"What? Oh. No there's only a residual reading. Whatever is down there it is either switched off or very low on power."

"Any life signs?"

Rodney called up the HUD display. "Doesn't look like it but the building could be shielded."

"No guard," stated Ronon.

"Didn't I just say that," snarked Rodney tired of people always stating the obvious.

"No, if someone was inside there would be a guard outside," explained Ronon.

"Oh." Rodney turned his attention back to his data pad checking that the video capture was working fine as Paxton flew the jumper towards the east. With any luck they would soon pick up the Great Wall that Maran had spoken of to Sheppard.

ooOoo

Lorne had spent the last half hour re-checking their cell looking for anything he had missed in his previous checks. He had known it was unlikely but the thought of what Jaymar planned to put his boss through this morning, if she didn't agree to the Ree-Tan's demands, was more than enough encouragement to find another way out. He had already let her down once; he had no intentions of doing so again. Thirty minutes of searching and he still failed to find any weakness. He kicked the door hard in frustration earning himself a worried look from Weir and a sore foot.

It wouldn't be long now before Jaymar's men returned for her again and this time they were likely to follow through on their threat to start killing prisoners unless she agreed to help them with their plans. He knew she would never agree no matter what the threat. She was no trained soldier but she had more strength and resilience than many he had served with over the years. She would never agree to help one race destroy another.

The bruises on her face had worsened overnight and she still cradled her injured wrist carefully against her body. The sight angered him but there was nothing he could do about it for now. He pulled his eyes away from her and looked around the cell again. He needed a plan. His eyes fell on the historians. They had fallen quiet after Maris had told them their history. He didn't know whether it was shame or despair that kept them quiet and he didn't really care. As far as he was concerned they had brought this upon themselves. They had known the truth and the danger and had remained silent on both. So he had no intentions of going out of his way to help them now.

Maris was the only one willing to return his attention. Maybe the man truly regretted what had happened and his part in it. Lorne watched as the Maris stood and walked over to stand by his side.

"I am truly sorry that my people's actions have placed your people in such dire circumstances and I am willing to do whatever is needed to help rectify it, Major," said Maris. "It is the least that I can do."

Lorne could see that Maris was sincere and he would need all the help he could get if they were to succeed in escaping. "I agree. It is the least that you can do," replied Lorne glancing at the other Dalerians before facing Maris again, "and we will need all the help we can get."

"I will speak with them, Major. I am sure that I can convince them to help, especially once I remind them that it is the only chance at survival that they have. The Ree-Tan may let you go once you have given them what they want but they will not be so generous with myself or my colleagues."

Maris moved back to join his fellow historians and began his task. Lorne couldn't hear what he was saying but he did see some of the others glance his way before nodding. Maybe they would have a real chance if an opportunity arose.

"Any ideas, sir?" asked Lieutenant Jenkins.

Lorne turned to find the young soldier by his side. "Only one Lieutenant and it depends on whether Maris can convince the others to help."

ooOoo

Brille stood at the head of the table and studied the men before him. Learning last night of Maran's betrayal had shaken him to his core but these men sat before him were his best Overmasters. Each one had proven himself worthy of the rank and was intensely loyal to him, their Chief Master. And not one would hesitate at being ordered into Ree-Tan territory despite the danger. And he was sure that not one of these men would betray him the way Maran had. Maran would answer for his betrayal with his life. He would make an example of him and string him up in the town centre for all to see. He would make sure that anyone else thinking of doing the same thing learned what fate awaited them.

He pulled his thoughts back to the attack on the Ree-Tan. "Good sirs, tonight we attack the Ree-Tan village and take the Lanteans back."

"Has the breach in the wall been located, sire?" asked the large man sat to his left.

"No, Horan. It has not but no matter, we will make one of our own using black powder."

"Will they not hear us coming, sire?" asked another man.

"The winds have been blowing from the wastelands these last few nights. If it does so again tonight then the Ree-Tan should not hear us," replied Horan.

"We will need to send a scout in to locate the Lanteans and report back before the attack wave moves in. It will be a most dangerous task but an important one."

"I will do it," volunteered Horan.

"Thank you, Horan. You honour your family with your bravery. May good fortune be with you tonight."

Horan acknowledged his master's words with a nod.

"And what would you have us do with Maran when we find him, sire?" asked an older man.

Brille sighed before he replied. "You will not find Maran amongst the Ree-Tan. It was the Lanteans who attacked the garrison. They have most likely returned to their world with him. If they try to return they will be struck down by the portal guards."

"And if they have not returned to their world?" asked the older man.

"Then they are to be destroyed and Maran is to be brought to me alive so that I may have the pleasure of watching the traitor die."

"Yes, sire," replied the Overmasters in unison.

ooOoo

"I hope your idea works, Major," stated Weir.

"So do I ma'am, so do I," replied Lorne.

"Someone's coming," announced Jenkins as he moved to one side of the doorway.

Lorne signalled for Maris to move into position on the other side before placing himself in between Weir and the door. The other historians moved into place just as he had instructed leaving only a few huddled against the wall behind him. They had been deemed too old to be of much assistance other than to provide a decoy for the guards.

The footsteps grew louder as they moved closer. He couldn't tell how many there were but it was more than one or two. "Stay behind me, ma'am." He was determined to keep her safe this time.

The footsteps stopped. Moments later the door swung outwards bathing the interior of the cell with early morning sunlight only to be cut off as four of Jaymar's men entered. As they approached him Jenkins, Maris and the others launched their attack taking the Ree-Tan by surprise.

Lorne noticed that Jenkins was doing well against his target. He had succeeded in knocking the Ree-Tan to the ground then pressed his advantage home quickly knocking the man out with a swift blow to the head. Maris wasn't doing so well and Lorne could see the others were busy with their own battles. He closed the gap and aimed a blow at the Ree-Tan's back hitting him where his kidney should be. The man roared as he flung Maris across the cell and turned to face his new attacker straightening to his full height.

"Oh shit!" Lorne knew he had no choice but to continue the fight he had started but boy was it going to hurt. He put all of his weight behind his next punch and aimed for the guy's jaw hoping to knock him out. His fist connected with a resounding crack and pain flared along his arm making him think he'd broken his own hand on the guy's jaw. But that thought was soon overtaken when a solid fist collided with his unprotected abdomen knocking all the air from his lungs. He found himself sprawled on the ground gasping for breath.

"Look out, Major!" shouted Weir.

Lorne looked up in time to see the looming figure of the Ree-Tan swinging his leg in his direction. He scrambled to get out of the way but wasn't fast enough. Lorne's vision greyed out as the man's heavy boot connected with his rib cage breaking several ribs with an audible crack. The sounds of fighting faded around him as he battled to stay conscious.

"Take the woman to Jaymar."

"I will come willingly if you give them medical treatment," offered Weir.

The Ree-Tan laughed. "You will come anyway and be grateful that my men did not kill them."

Lorne heard a brief scuffle of feet as she was dragged away then the sound of the cell door closing. He hoped her plans to negotiate with Jaymar were more successful than his escape plan. He felt hands moving over his body and tried to defend himself.

"Easy, sir. It's me, Jenkins. I need to check your injuries."

**TBC**

**A/N: **Oh dear, things don't look good for Elizabeth. Who's going to protect her now from Jaymar with Lorne out injured? And can Rodney and Paxton manage to stay out of trouble while they make a recon of the Ree-Tan village? And I don't like the sound of Brille's plans, there could be more trouble coming Weir's way before too long. Who will win in this three horse race? The answers are coming and so is more whump. So stay tuned for the next instalment and don't be afraid to drop by and say hi.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author****'****s Note:** Thanks guys and gals for reading your way to chapter 22 and for all the comments & faves. Hopefully everyone is still enjoying the ride even though this one has taken a darker route than my first. Things do get a little nasty in this chapter at the hands of the Ree-Tan, so be warned.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 22**

She looked on with fear as Lorne collapsed to the floor from a heavy punch to his abdomen. She wasn't a fight expert but even she knew that things weren't going well. Maris was sprawled against the other wall unconscious and he wasn't the only one. None of the historians were young men and it had been desperation that had made them try for an escape.

"Look out, Major!" shouted Weir as she spotted Lorne's opponent moving in to deliver another blow but her warning came too late. She heard the snap of bone and could only watch as he collapsed.

She took a nervous step backwards as the large Ree-Tan turned his attention to her. His expression was cold and hard and full of anger. He sneered at her and raised his hand, ready to strike her when another Ree-Tan stepped into the cell and interrupted him.

"Take the woman to Jaymar."

The large man grabbed her arm roughly nearly knocking her off balance as he pulled her towards him. She struggled against his grip. She knew she was no match for his size or strength but there was no way she was going to make this easy for the Ree-Tan. Not unless they gave her something in return.

"I will come willingly if you give them the medical treatment that they need," offered Weir to the man stood near the door.

The Ree-Tan laughed. "You will come anyway and be grateful that my men did not kill them."

She winced as the grip on her arm tightened and she found herself being dragged painfully from the cell. She dug her heels in but it made no difference. There had been little chance of success but they had taken it rather than choosing to wait for the inevitable. Now the inevitable was here and She could only hope that her attempts at negotiation with Jaymar would be more successful.

ooOoo

Jaymar paced impatiently, running his eyes over the elaborate display of weapons. Weapons deliberately placed to elicit fear from any prisoner unlucky enough to be captured by his men. He paused in his pacing and ran his hand over one in particular that still bore the blood stains of its last victim as he considered his current prisoners.

The men he understood. The historians were like all men of knowledge; intelligent but incapable of dealing with capture and certainly not torture. He had seen the open fear in their eyes but they did not interest him. They had no knowledge to offer that he did not already know. He may have been able to use them to help with deciphering the Ancient weapon but now he had something much better. He had the Lanteans and he was determined to bend them to his needs.

His thoughts shifted to the male Lanteans. It was obvious that they were warriors much his own people. Their eyes had not held fear; instead they had shown a defiance and determination. They had also shown a willingness to sacrifice themselves to protect the woman. He had expected no less from a warrior; that wasn't what had surprised and perplexed him. It was the woman that did. It was obvious that she was not a warrior but she demonstrated many of their traits. She was strong. He had no experience with strong women. Among the Ree-Tan it was unknown for a woman to demonstrate such courage or for one to hold a position of power as it appeared that this one did.

He found himself regretting the need to do as he had planned but it was too late to back down now. He had to think of his people and how best to defend them against the threat posed by the Dalerians. If that meant the loss of one beautiful and strong Lantean woman then that is what he would do. His people had been kept like the doric they herded for far too long. He could wallow in remorse once his people were free.

He stopped in his pacing and turned at the sound of the door opening behind him. The time had come to finish this matter with the Lanteans. Without a word he signalled the guard to place the woman in the chair that sat at one end of the room. Two ropes hang down from the ceiling opposite; waiting. He hoped that they would not be needed but he would use them if necessary.

He saw the woman's nervous glance as it was drawn to the weapons lined along one side. He had no qualms at using such devices, even against a woman but that was not his intent today. Her behaviour had already shown him that she did not respond to such methods. No he had chosen to offer her another path. One where he would grant her freedom in return for her co-operation. Her fate would be in her hands. She could agree easily or he would have to destroy her people one by one until she did.

ooOoo

Weir tried to ignore the sight of the objects lining one side of the room but it was difficult to draw her eyes away. Just as it was difficult to stop her mind from imagining what horrors they were designed to inflict. She knew Earth history reflected use of similar devices but she had never expected to see them up close and personal or to be in danger of being on the receiving end. The very thought sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

She pulled her eyes away from the weapons and looked at the chair that stood before her. Her mind flashed back to the night before and the rough treatment she had received. This time was not likely to be any different but she would not give him what he had asked for. She could not. She had to convince Jaymar that there was another solution. She knew if she couldn't she would not likely survive to see Atlantis again. And nor would the rest of Lorne's team. Jaymar had told her he would kill them if she did not co-operate and the two ropes hanging from the ceiling told her he was serious in his threat. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to find the strength that she would need for what lay ahead.

Her thoughts drifted to John and she wished that she could see him one last time; that she could tell him she loved him. She knew how he would react if she died on Daleria. He would blame himself for letting her go; for not being by her side to protect her and for not being there to rescue her from the Ree-Tan even though he'd had no reason to suspect that anything had happened. She'd seen his reaction before with Ford, Gaul and all the others that they had lost. She wasn't sure how he'd cope with her loss if she couldn't talk her way out of this. If he loved her like Teyla thought he did then it could kill him too. She had to succeed as much for his sake as hers.

Her thoughts were pulled back to the room as a rough hand pushed her onto the chair. The same rough hands yanked her arms behind her and swiftly bound her hands together in what felt like rough rope. She stifled a cry as the rope bit into the tender skin of her injured wrist. Instead she focussed her attention on the man before her. He was watching her carefully, looking for a sign of weakness maybe. She was determined not to show any and returned his look, keeping her very real fears under control as best she could. She thought she recognised a fleeting moment of admiration on his face before it disappeared. Why would he admire her?

"What is your decision woman? Will you help us willingly or must I force your compliance from you."

Weir realised her moment of truth had arrived. She could not give him what he wanted but she had to give him something or he would hurt the others; she did not doubt that he would carry out his threats from the night before. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"I will help your people but I will not destroy the Dalerians. My people can help them settle on another world and can help yours re-establish yourself. And we can help you defend yourselves against the Wraith."

"You truly do not understand the Dalerians if you think they would accept your offer? They are just as likely to kill you as I and they would do it without talking with you first. They will never leave this world willingly whilst they have the chance to unleash the weapon of the Ancestors."

"What if it is not a weapon? What will you do then?" asked Weir.

"But it is a weapon, of that there is no doubt. Tales have been passed down through the generations of my people about the Ancestors and a great battle with the Wraith. They speak of glowing orbs that rose from the Ancient site and flew through the air melting any Wraith they touched. More Wraith came bringing their ships and raining down fire upon the great cities until one day everything changed. No more orbs were seen and then the shimmer that had been seen surrounding one of the cities also vanished. The Wraith finding no resistance concentrated their attacked on the unprotected city. The other great city fled into the air before they too could suffer the same fate. The Wraith remained for some time culling many Ree-Tan before finally leaving. Much later my people went into the ruins but they could not enter the buildings. They searched the city but they could find no sign of any survivors."

She watched as Jaymar seemed lost in his own thoughts for a moment. She wondered if the glowing orbs he spoke off were drones and whether the Ancients had simply run out of them. If so then the weapon would be of little use to either side but she knew she couldn't take that chance.

"So you see my people know that there is a weapon and we know what it can do. I give you one last chance to help us willingly."

Weir continued holding his gaze refusing to give in even though she knew what it meant for the others. Jaymar took her silence to be refusal and nodded to the guards who then left. She had failed and the thought saddened her. There was only one other option open to her and she prayed that it would work.

"You don't need to do this, Jaymar. You could let us go and we will leave you and this world alone. We'll leave you to your fight with the Dalerians if that is what you want."

"And why would I let you go when I need your knowledge to make the Ancient weapon work?"

"Because you don't want to piss off my military commander. When we don't return as expected he'll come looking for us and when he learns what you have done, there'll be no stopping him. The Dalerians will be the least of your worries."

"I've already proven that my men are more than a match for your warriors. I do not think that a few more would be difficult to best," replied Jaymar.

Weir wanted to say more; to tell Jaymar that John had killed sixty Genii soldiers single-handedly in defence of Atlantis. But if she said too much then Jaymar might be able to use that information against John when he did come. And she knew John would. His strong moral compass would never allow him to leave anyone behind even if it were only to collect their bodies.

She tried to distract her thoughts from what lay ahead by thinking of her mother but all she could think about was how she'd react to news of her daughter's death. She imagined John breaking the news to her. He'd hide his own pain just like he always did; just like he had with Ford. And this time she wouldn't be there to provide her support to him. His team would though and she could only hope that it would be enough.

She looked up when she heard the door open and watched as four large Ree-Tan stepped into the room dragging Lorne and Jenkins between them. Lorne's eyes lifted to meet hers and she could see the guilt he felt over their capture and failed escape attempt. She wondered if he could see the guilt in hers for what they were about to endure for her non co-operation and suspected he could. She forced herself to watch as the guards hoisted Lorne's bound hands upwards and attached him to the rope hanging from the ceiling. The young Lieutenant received the same treatment and took it just as silently as his CO.

She wanted to look away; to hide from what was coming but she couldn't. She could stop it from happening with one word, she knew but she wouldn't. She blinked back the tears that threatened and held onto the words that she wanted to scream at Jaymar as he stripped the shirts from both men. She could see the heavy bruising around Lorne's ribs and abdomen and knew that was nothing compared to what he was about to receive. His eyes met hers again and she saw forgiveness there and resolve. If he could meet this bravely then so could she, no matter how much it hurt. The alternative was much worse.

ooOoo

"Which one should I start with? This one?" asked Jaymar. He paused in front of Lorne and studied him. "Will I wipe the defiance from his eyes? Take away his strength?"

"Maybe this one. He is much younger and has more to lose." added Jaymar as he moved to stand in front of Jenkins. The younger man did not hide his fear as well as the other; he would do well for his purposes. Jaymer turned to face Weir, "Will you save this boy or will you condemn him to die a slow painful death?"

Weir looked across at Lorne and Jenkins, her distress visible. Jaymar watched her, hoping that she would stop this and give him what his people needed. But his hopes slipped away as she turned her attention back to him.

"I can help you but not like this," replied Weir. "I will not help you destroy a race."

"Then you will watch your people die a slow death." Jaymar turned to face the guard stood behind the young man and gave him a nod. He would let the guard decide on a suitable weapon; one that would not kill immediately but would inflict enough pain to have the desired effect on the Lantean woman. She showed strength now but it would not be so easy once the torture began.

Seconds later the weapon was carefully placed in his hand. He glanced down and saw the perfectly carved wooden handle. It was a fine weapon and beautifully crafted. The leather bindings held the long, thin straps securely in place. He felt the weight of the weapon in his hand and admired its balance; the weapon would do well. He gave the weapon a test flick and delighted in how the young man's eyes were glued to it. He turned back to the woman to see the same horror and fear on her face but her resolve never faltered as she met his eyes. He turned away from her, disappointed. He had no choice now, she had not given one.

He moved behind the young man before taking his first swing with the weapon. The leather snapped through the air and wrapped around Jenkin's torso leaving an angry red trail where it had touched skin. "Agree to my demands and I will stop immediately," stated Jaymar as he pulled the whip loose and readied for another blow, ignoring the panting of the young man before him.

His offer was met with silence. A few more lashes and the young man would not be able to stop himself from screaming. There were droplets of blood already on the man's back and there would be many more soon as the leather sliced through the layers of his skin. He delivered the next blow and followed it quickly with two more, aiming them at where the first two had landed. Blood was flowing from the wounds but the young man was holding onto his pain. He changed his tactics and stood in front of the young Lantean, allowing him to see the weapon that was being used against him. Maybe a few strokes to the front would improve the response. He dealt out several more lashes before pausing to study his efforts. He'd spread them out this time covering much of the young man's chest in bleeding slashes. Finally he'd gotten a verbal response from the young man but it still wasn't enough to make the woman see sense. He would need more. He turned to his guard, "Strip him".

He watched the woman's face as the guard quickly removed what was left of the young man's clothing. He had hoped to see fear but instead he saw anger. He turned away from her and walked over to stand near the naked man.

"You'll pay for this you bastard!"

Jaymar turned to look at the man who had spoken, taking in the look of fury evident amongst the bruises. The man was fighting against the ropes that held him despite the pain it seemed to cause him. Again he wished his task was not necessary but he had choice; not if he was to save his people. What burden was one more regret to carry if it meant their survival? No, he would willingly pay that price. He pushed any doubts from his mind and glared at Lorne. "Unless she co-operates you'll pay next." He returned his attention to the young man and took several more lashes, leaving a trail of blood from Jenkins shoulders to his knees. He would've expected the woman to have broken by now. The young man was no longer holding back his screams of pain as each lash bit into his already damaged skin. His legs barely held him up anymore as they too were being subjected to the torture.

Jaymar ran his eyes over the man's injuries wondering how many more blows it would take to kill the man. He would stop before then of course. The woman hadn't broken yet but she would have a limit somewhere and he just needed to find it. He had other weapons at his disposal and another target to try his hand on. It would take time but he could be patient. After all had not the Ree-Tan waited centuries to get to this point. A few more hours or days would not matter.

He lifted the whip again and stepped back to take his next shot only to find himself falling to the floor as a solid blow connected with the back of his knees. He rolled away from his attacker and climbed to his feet, turning to face Lorne. It was his own fault for being careless but he would not tolerate the Lantean's behaviour. He gave a nod to the guard stood behind Lorne and watched with satisfaction as the guard delivered a heavy blow to the Lantean's back. Jaymar turned away and gave a second guard a nod and he moved in to take his turn.

Jaymar allowed all four guards to take their turn until the older Lantean hung from his wrists unconscious. He then turned to the woman. "It is not too late to change your mind and save their lives. I'll give you some time to think about it." He turned away from her before issuing his instructions. "Return them to the cells. Keep them restrained and no food or water this time. Tomorrow we'll execute the Dalerian filth and these may not be far behind."

ooOoo

Weir felt separated from reality. She kept hearing Jenkins screaming as the whip bit into his naked skin and clasped her hands over her ears but the sound wouldn't stop. She knew it was shock; knew that the torture had ended but it didn't matter whether she closed her eyes or not. She could still see the images replaying in her head. The images sickened her but knowing that it would all start again in a few short hours was the hardest. How could she sit by and watch more of the same? How could she not when the alternative was to condemn a whole race?

She ignored the eyes that watched her from across the cell, not trusting herself with words yet as her thoughts swirled out of control. These people continued to subjugate the Ree-Tan and they had used deception to gain her help. Yet she could not condemn them anymore than she could the Ree-Tan.

She lifted her head at the sound of the cell door opening and watched as the guards dumped Lorne's battered body at her feet. Guilt and self doubt washed over her again at the sight of so many bruises covering his torso. Self doubt wasn't something she had suffered from before coming to this galaxy; now it seemed to be all she knew. Seeing the guards drop Jenkins beside Lorne, still naked and bleeding tore at her. He'd suffered horribly because of her choice but what else could she have done? And what other choice could she make tomorrow when the guards returned? She closed her eyes as despair gripped her. Her choice would have to remain the same. She could not destroy a race to save herself or she would be no better than either the Ree-Tan or Dalerians.

Right now she couldn't understand why Jack had thought she was the best person to lead the mission when all she could think was that she was the worst choice. Maybe a military leader would've been better given the threats they had encountered since coming to the Pegasus galaxy.

She pulled her thoughts back to the man before her. She knew there was nothing she could do for him. Nothing that she could do for any of them. There would be no hope of escape now. Atlantis wouldn't miss them for another day and by then it would be too late. Tears clouded her eyes at the thought that she'd never see home again; never see John's smiling face or hear Rodney's biting remarks. She wanted to breakdown and cry; she wanted to curl up into a ball and hide from the world; she wanted John to wrap his arms around her and tell her she'd be alright; she wanted to be anywhere but here when tomorrow rolled around.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Poor Weir, can she sink any lower into the depths of despair? Can Lorne and Jenkins handle much more torture at Jaymar's hands? Will their luck change with Rodney hovering nearby in a jumper? Or will bad luck persist in the Pegasus galaxy dumping our favourites into even more trouble than they are already in? Guess you'll just have to wait for the next instalment at a PC near you.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author****'****s Note:** There's still a bit of fun to be had before the rollercoaster comes to a rest. Hopefully the last chapter wasn't too dark. If it was rest assured this one is a little lighter. So enjoy and thanks for reading, reviewing, making this story your favourite. Now read on.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 23**

Rodney was amazed as the wall they were looking for came into view on the horizon. He'd seen images of the Great Wall of China on Earth and didn't think he'd ever see anything that could rival its sheer length and height. But this one did. Built from rough-hewn dark stone and standing several metres high, it stood out in stark contrast to the open grassland they were flying over.

"Bring us in for a low pass over the wall. I think I saw something," order Rodney as they drew near the wall.

Paxton did as asked and brought the jumper in low, flying along parallel to the wall in the direction Rodney had indicated. "What are we looking for?"

Rodney studied the HUD for a moment before transferring his focus to the ground passing beneath him. Dozens of red dots filled an area several meters deep parallel to the wall on the Dalerian side. He had an idea he knew what the red dots were and he thought he'd seen the proof when they were higher. Now all he had to do was to spot it again. It should be easy at this height and speed.

"There. On the horizon. Do you see it?" asked Rodney. He knew he was right. His close-up view of the wall had only helped confirm his suspicions. Its rough surface could provide anyone desperate enough to climb it plenty of toe-holds and given the Dalerian's intense desire to wipe-out the Ree-Tan, he was sure that the Ree-Tan would've been desperate enough to try anything to fight back.

Ronon leaned closer, looking at the exposed soil near the wall. "It's an animal burrow, McKay."

"Of all the..." Rodney paused. Maybe it wasn't so wise to insult his teammate's lack of intelligence; his very large and intimidating teammate. Instead he pointed to the HUD. "It's a mine field, can't you see. The red dots are the mines and this gap is where your animal burrow is, except it isn't an animal burrow. It's an exploded mine."

"He's right," added Paxton.

"Of course I am," huffed McKay.

"How'd the Ree-Tan get through?" asked Ronon.

"How should I know?" replied McKay glancing over his shoulder at Ronon, "Maybe they got lucky. Maybe...What the-" McKay quickly scanned the controls before him as the ground fell away rapidly and was replaced by blue sky.

"Sorry, spotted a patrol," apologised Paxton.

"We're cloaked Lieutenant. What part of cloaked don't you understand?"

"They can still hear us," replied Paxton. "And if they can hear us they can still shoot us down. Didn't think you'd want that."

"Oh...right...um...good thinking," stumbled McKay ignoring the smirk coming from Ronon.

"There's another one," remarked Ronon pointing to the horizon.

Paxton followed the wall and flew over the second patrol keeping high enough to avoid detection. Ronon leaned further forward, encroaching on Rodney's personal space, as he studied the men below. There were two of them dressed in the same outfit that Maran wore and they were carrying their weapons at the ready as they followed a worn path just outside the mined area.

"They're looking for something," remarked Ronon.

"Or someone," added Paxton.

"No. One is watching the wall, the other the ground," replied Ronon. "They're looking for how the Ree-Tan got through."

"This is all very interesting," remarked Rodney. "But shouldn't we be moving on to find the village."

"Sheppard needs to know," replied Ronon.

"Well, he'll know once we get back. Let's move on Lieutenant."

Paxton did as directed and headed the jumper toward Ree-Tan territory. Rodney glanced down at his laptop to confirm that the video feed was still being recorded, looking up again just in time to see them fly over the giant wall.

More grassland greeted his eyes. No divots marked this side and no red dots showed on the HUD. Clearly this side of the wall didn't hold the same dangers. He wondered why before the answer came to him. Obviously the Dalerians didn't want to chance the Ree-Tan working out how to use the devices against their enemy. Instead they'd mined their own side knowing that anyone climbing over the wall would have no choice but to cross the field and with constant patrols there would be no chance to disarm the mines. He wondered how many Ree-Tan had died trying. He understood their desperation; had felt it himself when they had been under siege from the Wraith. No-one wanted to live in constant fear of an enemy whose only purpose was to wipe your people out. He felt sorry for them for a moment before he remembered why they were here. They'd taken his friends and he wanted them back.

He drew his attention back to his equipment as he checked again that the scanner was recording what he could see. The grasslands had thinned out revealing a much drier landscape, dotted with rocks and the occasional saltbush. Towards their left, on the distant horizon, he thought he could spot sand dunes. He glanced down at the scanners and found that the temperature had risen a few degrees and the humidity had fallen, making him grateful for the controlled climate of the jumper. The last time he'd been on a world filled with sand he'd been with Sheppard and they had found a downed hive ship. He shuddered at the memory. Gaul had taken his own life and Sheppard had nearly lost his, fighting the Wraith from hell. He knew it was stupid, but ever since he'd hated the sight of sand. It brought back too many memories and reminded him that sometimes his brilliant mind wasn't enough. He'd learned that he couldn't solve everything with his intellect and that thought scared him more than he cared to admit.

He pushed the thoughts away and concentrated on the task he'd set himself. They were several kilometres inside the Ree-Tan territory and still there was no sight of the village they were looking for. He was beginning to wonder whether the information the Dalerian had given them was wrong when he noticed a clutch of large boulders on the horizon. They looked out of place sitting there by themselves but he guessed they'd once been buried in soil that had worn away over the millennia, leaving the harder rock behind. He could see that the land started to rise behind the rocks leading up to a jagged peak, just as dry and barren as the ground below.

As they flew closer Rodney realised that the boulders were larger than the average suburban house in his home town. But it wasn't their size that had seized his full attention. He adjusted the scanners to check his findings only confirming what he thought. Hidden on the other side was the entrance to a tunnel. A tunnel that no doubt went all the way to the great wall and beyond. It was a massive engineering feat for a people that hadn't progressed technologically much beyond that of Earth in the 1700's. Rodney figured that it would've taken the Ree-Tan decades, if not generations, to build.

"Hey guys. I think I've found how the Ree-Tan got passed the wall." Rodney pointed to the HUD.

"A tunnel?" queried Ronon.

"Yep," replied Rodney wearing a smug grin.

"But that would..." started Paxton.

"Take decades, if not more, to build. I know. But it makes sense. There's no way that they could get passed the mine field and the patrols any other way," interrupted Rodney.

"So how come the Dalerians haven't found it?" asked Paxton.

"How should I know?" replied Rodney annoyed. "Maybe they haven't looked hard enough."

"Probably looking in the wrong place," added Ronon. "The entrance is a long way from the wall, the exit probably is as well."

Rodney considered Ronon's answer. It made sense. The Dalerian patrols were monitoring the area just beyond the minefield and it had probably never crossed their minds that the Ree-Tan would bide their time, quietly burrowing under their feet until they were deep into enemy territory. He wasn't too sure that he wanted to meet a people which such a single-minded determination to rid themselves of an enemy. With luck he wouldn't have to, they would locate the village and identify where their own people were being held and Sheppard would swoop in with his rescue team to retrieve them. He almost laughed at that; since when did luck ever go his way. Knowing his luck he'd be shot down and killed instantly or land up in a cell next to Elizabeth and the others.

"There's the village," announced Paxton, pulling McKay from his drifting thoughts.

Rodney caught his first sight of the Ree-Tan settlement as the jumper broached the large rise. He hadn't known what to expect but he knew it wasn't this. The buildings looked like they were made from the same material used to build the great wall, making him wonder how they had found so much of the stuff. There had to be over a hundred buildings huddled together near the only water source that they had seen since crossing into Ree-Tan territory.

He dropped his eyes to his laptop checking that the video feed was capturing it all only to find it wasn't; not anymore. "Crap!"

"What?" asked Ronon.

"The video link has dropped out," replied Rodney as he began to check the connections. This was what he'd been afraid of and why he'd insisted that he needed to go with Paxton.

"Can you fix it?" asked Paxton.

"I don't know. Probably. Just give me a minute," replied Rodney as he dropped out of his seat and buried himself beneath the console. "Just fly in circles or something."

"Circles?" repeated Paxton, glancing from Rodney to Ronon before adjusting the flight path of the jumper.

ooOoo

"How's the head?" asked Sheppard as he joined Teyla in the mess.

"It is fine, thank you," replied Teyla over her cup of Athosian tea. "I hear that you have spoken with the Dalerian."

Sheppard looked down at his food for a moment, quickly losing interest in what he'd chosen. "Yeah. It seems the Dalerians are another race that aren't what they appear to be. You'd think we'd learn by now."

"Life is difficult living with the threat the Wraith pose. Some choose to extend the hand of friendship despite the dangers. Others choose to protect themselves at any cost, even if it means destroying others of their kind. My father encountered several peoples, in his travels, who behaved much like the Dalerians do but he encountered far more that chose the path of friendship."

Sheppard looked up from his plate and found Teyla's eyes watching him. "I know. It just seems like we keep finding the wrong people to try and make friends with." He looked away again and continued to play with his food until a hand settled over his and stilled the movement, drawing his attention back.

"We will find her and bring her back home."

"I hope so, Teyla. I really do."

Teyla continued to study him before she continued, "You should tell her how you feel."

Sheppard looked away again. It didn't surprise him that Teyla had seen through his facade. He'd never been good at hiding anything from her. Sometimes he thought she knew him better than he knew himself. There was no point him denying his feelings, she'd see through him right away. "It's not that simple." He only wished it was. He wanted nothing more than to hold Elizabeth and tell her how he felt about her once she was back, safe in Atlantis. But he wouldn't do that to her. Not with the IOA looking for any reason to replace her with someone else. He wouldn't let them use him against her.

ooOoo

"That should do it," announced Rodney as he pulled himself from under the console.

"You said that five minutes ago," replied Ronon.

"Well this time I'm sure," added Rodney as he checked his laptop. "Yep, told you. It's recording." He looked out the viewport to see the large boulders they had passed earlier on the horizon. "What are you waiting for? Stop circling and head to the village."

Paxton glanced at Rodney but the scientist had his head down studying the laptop. "How is it you've lived this long?" he mumbled as he brought the jumper round towards the village.

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

As they drew nearer they could see people moving about, getting on with their daily lives. People fetched water from the stream while children played in the shade of one of the trees that grew near the water's edge. Life seemed normal.

Paxton maintained his altitude as he flew over the village before taking the jumper in closer.

"Can you go any lower?" asked Ronon.

"No," replied Paxton. "Any lower and they might hear us beside these alleyways are pretty narrow. Let's find our people."

Rodney stared at the HUD as red dots appeared all over the village. A larger concentration was gathered close together in the central square they'd seen in their first flyover. He'd noticed that all of the alleyways led to the same point making him think that the square was used as a marketplace. It was hard to tell though from the air. There were none of the vibrantly coloured stalls that he'd seen on other planets. Instead there were hardly any stalls at all and everything blended into the same dark, drab colours of the buildings. The whole place looked sad and depressing and very different from the Dalerian village Sheppard had described.

"Can you tell which ones are our people?" asked Paxton as more dots appeared.

"No. It doesn't work that way," replied Rodney.

"What's that?" asked Ronon pointing to a group of buildings set slightly apart from the main village.

"Let's take a look," replied Paxton.

More red dots appeared as they neared the group of buildings. There were a dozen buildings in all, varying in size and arranged in a rectangle. A larger building sat at one end overlooking a small open area between the buildings. A much smaller building sat opposite on the far side of the open area, well away from the others. The arrangement reminded Rodney of his early schools days but he doubted that these buildings were used to educate the local Ree-Tan children in the three Rs, not when a group of men could be clearly seen practising stick fighting in the open area.

"Do you think that Elizabeth and Lorne are being held here?" asked Rodney.

"Probably," replied Ronon as he studied the HUD.

"But which building?" asked Paxton. "It's too dangerous to land now and do a closer recon."

Rodney looked at the volume of red dots scattered amongst the buildings, many of them in groups large enough to be their people. There was no way of knowing which group was theirs or of confirming that Elizabeth and Lorne were even still alive.

"We come back when it's dark," replied Ronon.

Rodney knew he was right. He'd been on enough off-world missions with Sheppard to know that the risks were too great. It was more important that they got what information they had gathered back to Atlantis but he doubted that Sheppard would wait for a night-time recon before mounting a rescue. He'd only waited this long because they hadn't known where to find them. At least now they had some idea, assuming the Dalerian hadn't lied to them and knowing their luck he probably had.

Paxton flew one last pass over the village before turning back towards the gate. "Now for the hard part."

ooOoo

Paxton slowed his approach as the gate came into view. He knew once the gate activated the Dalerians would be on full alert. He held no illusions about the safety provided by the jumper after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even modern warplanes could be brought down by a barrage of weapons fire from simple rifles aimed at the right spot. He'd seen it happen and he didn't plan on falling victim to it, if he could help it.

"Shouldn't we be going faster not slower if we don't want the men with guns to shoot us down?" asked Rodney.

Paxton again wondered how Sheppard managed to put up with the man without resorting to violence. He took a deep breath before asking, "Is he always like this?"

"No. He's usually worse." replied Ronon.

"Very funny."

Paxton glanced over his shoulder at Ronon. The big guy's expression looked serious but his eyes gave him away. It had taken Paxton a while to realise that behind all the bickering and biting remarks was a very tight-knit group that were closer than most families. How such different people had achieved that he couldn't imagine. All he knew was that he would've killed McKay by now if he'd been on his team.

"So, do you want me to dial the gate or are you planning on flying in circles all day?" snarked Rodney.

Paxton sighed before turning his attention back to the stargate and the waiting Dalerian Enforcers. They'd already discussed the problem when they'd first arrived and found themselves being shot at. The Dalerians didn't need to see their target. They didn't even need to know whether they were coming or going. Once the gate activated they could just aim their fire to cross in front of the event horizon safe in the knowledge that they couldn't miss. He could fire a drone into them but they were so close to the gate that the blast could damage the gate or send dangerous debris through to Atlantis. Even trying to use a drone as a diversion wasn't likely to work given how open the land was around the gate. No, they would have to take their chances and hope that the Dalerian weapons weren't powerful enough to do any real harm to the jumper.

"Well, here goes nothing. Dial the gate, McKay."

Paxton brought the jumper around for his final approach as Rodney quickly punched in the address for Atlantis.

"The shield is down," stated Rodney after entering his IDC.

Paxton opened a channel to the Control room as he started his run. "Atlantis, we're coming in hot. Raise the shield as soon as we're through." He came in fast knowing that the jumper's automatic system would cut in and slow the vessel down. They came under fire and the sound of weapons fire hitting the hull could be clearly heard. Paxton prayed that they wouldn't hit the drive pods or they could be in serious trouble. He'd heard about Sheppard's jumper getting stuck in a Stargate and he wasn't keen to experience it firsthand.

As they neared the gate the auto-pilot engaged and the craft decelerated. All they could do now was hope that all would be fine. More weapons fire hit the ship and the lights flickered as the power fluctuated for a moment before returning to normal. They only needed another few seconds and they would be safe. Paxton held his breath as the event horizon filled his view through the port. They'd made it. He glanced across at McKay surprised to find him bent over his laptop tapping furiously on the screen.

"Energy levels are dropping," stated Rodney.

Paxton realised he'd been overly optimistic about their survival when the power fluctuated again before failing altogether as the jumper entered the event horizon. No power meant no auto-pilot and no way to warn Atlantis.

ooOoo

"Atlantis, we're coming in hot. Raise the shield as soon as we're through," warned Paxton.

"Roger," acknowledged Chuck.

All non-essential staff ran from the control room as the Marine guards took up their positions. Stray weapons fire flew through the gate hitting the steps and sending people ducking behind anything solid. Chuck stayed in his seat, crouched low over the gate controls with his hand hovering over the shield control, his eyes never leaving the blue circle.

The steel grey of the jumper appeared and he knew something was wrong. It was too low. His brain barely registered the lack of light coming from the jumper as it cleared the horizon before he slammed his hand down on the control, raising the shield. He continued to watch in shock as the jumper dropped like a stone. It hit the floor hard as it continued across the gate-room before ploughing into the control room steps where it finally stopped. Moments later the gate shut down and people started to gather around the dead vessel.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Oh dear, that's not good and I bet Sheppard won't be happy. Can they get the mess removed in time to save Weir? And what about our poor boys, Ronon and Rodney? Will anything ever go their way or are they all doomed to fail this time? To find out keep an eye out for more of Promises Made and don't forget to feed the muse with a review. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Author****'****s Note:** Sorry for the delay. RL can be a real nuisance when it gets between me and the characters I like to treat as my own. Especially when I'm just at the start of the more interesting end of the story. Hope you are still with me as the action starts to wind up. There is loads of whumpage and drama to come. And maybe just a little TLC to be dished out to those that survive. Now I'll say no more lest I spoil the surprise. Read and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 24**

Sheppard couldn't believe his eyes as he took in the mess that greeted him as he raced into the gate-room. Chuck had warned him that Paxton was coming in hot but this was carrying it to the extreme, even he'd never managed to make this much mess landing the jumper. He turned at the commotion to see Carson rush in followed by his medical team pushing gurneys.

Carson's step faltered then stopped as he stared at the jumper wedged underneath the Control room. "Sweet mother of God, what have you done Rodney?" murmured Carson.

Sheppard didn't have the time to deal with Carson's worries. He had enough of his own as he realised that the jumper's hatch was still sealed tight and that meant one of two things. Either the mechanism wasn't working or everyone inside was injured. He didn't want to think about the alternative. He'd lost too many friends over the years and he wasn't about to lose another one.

"We need to get this hatch open now! Where's Zelenka?" asked Sheppard.

"I'm here," replied the Czech, stopping at the sight before him. "Oh my. That is not good."

"Can you open it?" asked Sheppard.

"Probably but it will take time. How much I do not know." replied Zelenka.

Sheppard nodded accepting Zelenka's answer. He'd expected as much but it didn't make hearing it any better. "Do whatever you have to." He stared at the ruined jumper for a moment before a hand touched his shoulder.

"We'll get them out, lad."

Sheppard didn't turn at Carson's words. He didn't doubt that Zelenka would do his best. He'd proven that often enough in recent times. But would it be enough. What if he couldn't get the rear hatch open in time? What if they didn't have life support anymore? How long would their air supply last before any hope of getting them out alive was lost? God, he was starting to sound like McKay. Panicking wasn't going to help. He needed to find another way in, in case Zelenka's efforts failed.

He quickly ran through his options but only one held any real chance of success and even that wasn't very high. He'd need to clear a path through the debris that covered the sides of the ship first which sounded easy as long as it didn't bring more of the Control room structure down on his head. But that was just the beginning. If he survived that part he'd still have to find a way through the viewport glass that was designed to withstand space travel. Sure he could use C4 but that also risked bringing more of the Control room down on the jumper and there was no guarantee that it would even make a dent in the materials used by the Ancients. And if it did work the percussive force generated could kill the occupants, assuming they weren't already dead.

Sheppard didn't like the chances of success but it was better than nothing and right now he'd take anything he could get rather than just standing around waiting. He'd never been good at waiting and he wasn't about to start now. He ignored Carson's protests as he began the task he'd set himself. He wasn't going to let his recovering injuries get in the way of rescuing a friend.

ooOoo

Rodney hadn't expected to survive their return to Atlantis. He still wasn't sure how he had. They had lost all power as they entered the event horizon and by all reasonable counts he should be squashed up against the viewport like a dead bug. But he wasn't and for that he was grateful or at least he would be as soon as he got out of this tin can.

It should've been easy but who was he kidding. He was in the Pegasus galaxy and that simple fact screwed with the laws of probabilities. And he was in a device designed by the Ancients. A race so intelligent that they'd managed to build the stargates but they couldn't build in a manual override that didn't require a power source to open the hatch. Or an emergency lighting system with its own backup power. How could he be expected to save the day yet again if he couldn't see what he was doing?

"Here."

Rodney jumped at the sight of Ronon's face suddenly appearing before him in the warm glow of a flashlight . The man moved like a cat and he was grinning like one too having seen Rodney's reaction.

"Very funny. Give me the torch so I can get us out of this thing before the air runs out."

Ronon handed him the torch before moving away to the front of the jumper using a second torch to light his way. Rodney watched as Ronon touched his fingers to Paxton's neck. "Is he..."

"He's alive," replied Ronon.

Rodney released a sigh and turned back to his task propping the torch on the seat so it would shine on the bank of crystals. He could already see one problem. Whatever the weapons-fire had hit must've created a short circuit, overloading the system and leaving the blackened remains. He would have to try bypassing it somehow and hope that it was their only problem. Knowing his luck he'd get the door mechanism working only to find that they were buried deep beneath tonnes of rubble. He felt his breathing quicken as his claustrophobia kicked in again and reminded him just how screwed they really were.

"Sheppard will dig us out."

Rodney jumped at the sudden noise before realising what Ronon had said. Was the man psychic now? He saw the smirk on Ronon's face and realised he must've voiced his panic. How could Ronon remain so calm? He knew as well as anyone that the hatch would be near impossible to open from outside and that was assuming that they weren't buried too deep in rubble and that they hadn't killed everyone in the Control room in the process and that they could get to them before the limited air ran out and...

"You're doing it again, McKay."

"What?" asked Rodney as he tried to control his breathing and concentrate on the panel before him.

"Thinking too much," replied Ronon.

Rodney looked across at Ronon expecting to still see the smirk on the man's face. Instead he found Ronon concentrating on the unconscious pilot as he treated his injuries. He turned back to his work hoping that Ronon's quiet confidence that they would get out of this mess wasn't misplaced.

ooOoo

"Watch yourself Sergeant," warned Sheppard as he caught the piece of shifting masonry before it could hit the young marine. He'd reluctantly let the younger man take the lead when he'd seen him scrambling over the debris like a light-footed mountain goat barely shifting the unstable mass under his weight. Sheppard realised that the Sergeant had far more chance of making it safely and quickly to the front of the vessel than he did. And right now speed was more important than his aging ego. Too long had already passed since his first attempt to contact Rodney and the others on his radio.

"I've reached the viewport, sir. I think it's intact. It's covered in dust and debris but I think I can shift it."

"Be careful, Sergeant. We don't want anyone else hurt today."

"Yes, sir."

Sheppard carefully followed the path Sergeant Jones had taken, pausing every time the mass under his feet shifted. He'd already skinned his knees twice as something gave way and the last thing he needed now was another injury. Beckett would have him back in the infirmary so fast his head would spin and he wouldn't see freedom anytime soon. Beckett meant well but the man treated him like a recalcitrant child. It wasn't that he didn't want to take care of himself. He did but at the moment Rodney and Elizabeth needed him more. He needed Rodney and the others safe and out of the jumper and he needed the jumper out of the Gate room so he could launch a team to rescue Elizabeth. Only when she was safe back on Atlantis would he take it easy.

He hauled himself over another obstacle carefully avoiding the sharp edges and found himself standing beside the Sergeant. The young man was tugging on a chunk of masonry struggling to shift the heavy object. Sheppard added his weight and between them they managed to drag it out of the way. Sheppard turned back to see they'd cleared a small portion of the viewport of masonry and metal leaving a layer of dust blocking the view inside. Sheppard swept his arm across the surface, pushing as much of the dust to one side and revealing a pool of light from a torch as it illuminated Ronon and Lieutenant Paxton. He searched for the other occupant but couldn't find him. He hoped that only meant Rodney was working on getting the hatch open and not that he was beyond saving. He pushed the thought away and turned his attention back to Ronon noticing that the Satedan was busy tending to the pilot, meaning he was injured and not dead. That was something at least.

"Pass me your torch." Sheppard doubted that Ronon would hear him bashing on the thick window but he would notice light flickering across the face of his patient.

ooOoo

Carson stepped forward as Sheppard climbed down from the rubble pile and inspected the man for any new injuries.

"I'm fine," replied Sheppard to the unspoken question. He knew Carson meant well but his hovering was starting to wear thin. He had no intention of letting his recent bad run of infirmary stays stop him from doing his job of protecting Atlantis. "Ronon and Rodney look a little banged up but they're basically fine. Paxton looks like he copped the worst of it. He's unconscious."

"I need to get in there now," replied Carson.

"I know, Doc. Rodney's already working on it."

"It is opening, Colonel!"

"See," added Sheppard like a proud father as he moved to join Zelenka. Carson followed his anxiety to get aboard obvious to Sheppard but there was nothing he could do to speed things up. It wouldn't be more than a few seconds more now when he realised that the Pegasus galaxy must have heard him and played another one of its cruel tricks as the back hatch ceased in its movement. "For crying out loud." Couldn't anything be easy? There was no way anyone could get out through the gap that was left. Even at its widest point at the top of the hatch, it was only a foot wide. Not even Teyla could squeeze herself through. It was still up to McKay and Zelenka to get the thing open.

"What's happening, McKay?" asked Sheppard.

"The hatch is stuck," replied McKay.

"Kinda worked that out myself, Rodney," replied Sheppard "Why's it stuck?"

"Why do you think?" replied Rodney.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking." Sheppard could hear McKay's sigh from where he stood. Clearly the man thought he was speaking to someone less intelligent than himself. Someone to whom even the basics had to be explained. Some things never changed but at least that meant that McKay was being his usual self and mostly okay. For that he'd put up with any insults to his intelligence.

"No power. That last blast by the Dalerians took out the main power crystal. I managed to reroute the power through a secondary circuit but it was dodgy at best. Obviously opening the hatch was more than it could handle. I'm trying to reroute the power again n-Ow, damn it!"

"Rodney?" Sheppard glanced at Carson. He knew the doctor was just as anxious as he was to get the jumper open and make sure his friends were truly okay. But he was also anxious to get his hands on the intel. He had no intentions on waiting any longer before launching a rescue mission for Elizabeth. The thought of what could be happening to her terrified him and haunted his dreams. He couldn't face waiting any longer. He could only hope it hadn't been too long already.

"What?" snapped Rodney.

Sheppard thought Rodney sounded a little distracted. Hopefully he was just busy working on the problem. He had visions of the scientist electrocuting himself and tried to push the worries from his thoughts. He caught movement to his side and turned to see Zelenka talking with one of the other scientists before returning.

"We can use power crystal from one of the other jumpers. I have sent someone to fetch it."

"Good work, Radek," Sheppard was surprised that Rodney hadn't thought of it himself and started to worry that his friend was more injured than he'd looked when he'd seen him through the viewport. "Rodney, Radek has sent someone to fetch a power -"

"crystal from another jumper. A great idea if you're happy to risk frying another one. Look the power relays are overloading and are likely to fry any circuit they're connected to. Excuse me but I thought we needed all the mobile jumpers we could get."

Sheppard sighed. As usual Rodney was right. They only had a handful of jumpers and their ability to repair them was limited due to the lack of spare parts left behind by the Ancients. They couldn't afford to keep writing them off but then they couldn't afford to lose their Chief Scientist when other options were available either.

"How's Lieutenant Paxton doing?" asked Carson.

"He is not well," responded Ronon. "He regained consciousness but he is disoriented and nauseous."

The sound of vomiting could be clearly heard through the gap in the hatch. Sheppard could well imagine how Rodney would feel being trapped inside a poorly ventilated tin can with the odour of vomit filling the available air. There would be no escaping the foul odour. Ronon would cope but he knew Rodney wouldn't. Nothing like a little motivation to speed up events.

"That's lovely. Can't you find something to cover that mess before it's impossible to breathe in here?"

Sheppard couldn't help but smile at Rodney's predictable response. It didn't last long though. He could well do without Rodney's habit of getting easily distracted right now. "How's the power supply thing going, Rodney? Ready to give in and use the spare one from the other jumper yet?"

"Keep your pants on. This is delicate work, Colonel."

"Yes, Rodney. So you keep telling me but I need you out of there and I need this wreck out of the Gate room. Now."

His demand was answered by the sound of the hatch moving as it recommenced its slow trek towards the floor. Its movement was erratic and he heard several muttered curse words emanating from the jumper. The source of the curse words slowly came into view as the hatch continued on its downward path. Sheppard could see Rodney elbow deep in the wiring and crystals that were housed just behind the ship's bulkhead. His face was twisted in pain and his mouth was moving proving he was the source of the words. Obviously Rodney had picked up some of the language that he more usually heard from the marines. It would've been amusing it if wasn't for the pain etched on his friend's face. He suddenly felt guilty when he realised that Rodney had taken his words to heart and ignored his own health in the process. "That's enough. You can let go now, Rodney."

Sheppard leapt into the jumper as the hatch lurched to a stop a foot above the gate room floor and rushed to Rodney's side. The smell of singed flesh assaulted his nostrils as he pulled his friend's hands away from the crystals. Rodney blinked a couple of times before he seemed to realise who was holding him. "You did it, Rodney."

Rodney seemed to shake off his trance as Sheppard watched him worriedly. McKay was much more than just a friend to him and he'd never forgive himself if his taunts had pushed the stubborn man to risk his health rather than give in and use the crystal from another jumper.

Paxton was carried out on a gurney followed by Carson. Sheppard let them pass and tilted his head for Ronon to follow before tailing the group with Rodney in tow. Carson and the gurney were already gone by the time Sheppard stepped from the damaged jumper. In their place sat a second gurney held by one of Carson's team. Another gurney sat a few feet to one side and was being deliberately ignored by the tall Satedan much to the annoyance of the medic next to him.

Sheppard guided his friend to the waiting bed, worried by the quietness of the man. Rodney was never quiet, much to the annoyance of most who knew him. "You okay, buddy?"

The words seemed to pull Rodney back from wherever his mind had gone. "Huh, what?"

"Are you okay?" repeated Sheppard as they reached the gurney.

"The video. We forgot the video. Must-"

"I have it Rodney," replied Zelenka as he stepped down from the jumper holding onto Rodney's precious data-pad.

"What about-"

"Just relax, Rodney. Let the doc fix you up. We can take care of the rest from here." Sheppard nodded to the medic. "I'll be down in a little while." He really wanted to follow his friend to the infirmary and make sure he really was okay but he needed to organize the removal of the jumper first and then get a look at the footage they'd captured. Being in charge sucked sometimes.

"I'll keep an eye on him," stated Ronon as Rodney was wheeled out of the room.

"Thanks," replied Sheppard as Ronon moved to follow Rodney. The big man still chose to ignore the medic four steps behind him diligently pushing his gurney as if he expected the Satedan to change his mind. He had to give Carson his due. He ran a tight ship of brave people. Not many would be willing to tag the big man the way the medic was.

Sheppard shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to concentrate on other things for the moment. He took the data pad and its precious contents from Zelenka before asking, "Any ideas on how we remove this from the gate room without bringing the Control room down on our heads?"

Zelenka studied the ruins of the jumper before turning and studying the gap between them and the gate. He then looked up towards the jumper bay before he returned his attention to Sheppard. "Could we not lower another jumper and use it to tow out this one?"

Sheppard glanced upwards to see how much room he would have to manoeuvre a jumper. It would be tight. Very tight but not impossible. He'd have to go through the gate since there wasn't enough room for him and the downed jumper once he had it pulled out from under the Control room. He considered using a second jumper to then lift the broken remains back into the jumper bay but decided it wasn't worth the risk. If they could tug it out from where it lay, it would be safer just to tug it all the way through the gate. He could drag it through to the alpha site and then they could worry about retrieving it again later.

Sheppard turned back to face Zelenka. "What about the automatic controls? Can you override them?"

"It will take time but I think so. You think it will work?"

"What other choice do we have? Call me when you have a jumper ready to go."

Sheppard glanced back at the ruined vessel before heading for Elizabeth's office with the data pad in hand. He was well aware how lucky he was that his friends were still alive after a crash that could so easily have killed them. Now if only Elizabeth and the others were still alive. He could only hope his luck would hold out.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Whew! Thank goodness that Rodney appears to be in one piece... or is he? And will Zelenka's plan for removing the crashed jumper actually work? Tune in for the next chapter for all the answers and even more mayhem. Can't have John & Rodney loose in the Pegasus galaxy without a healthy dose of mayhem, now can we. It just wouldn't be SGA otherwise.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author****'****s Note:** Seems there is always a delay between chapters these days. Maybe it's the distraction of Alex O'Loughlin taking his shirt off in Hawaii Five-O (not that I'm complaining). Anyway I hope you'll forgive me – again – and accept a slightly longer than normal chapter as an apology. All mistakes are of course my own unlike the characters (pity).

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 25**

Sheppard sank into Weir's chair, grateful for a moment to himself. He'd thought the worst when he'd seen the downed jumper in the Gate room. He still didn't understand how anyone could've survived the crash but he was glad they did. He wasn't ready to lose any more of his friends. He'd been through that before in Afghanistan and nearly didn't make it out himself. He'd lost his best friend on the enemies' battlefield that day and he had no intentions of going through that again. Not that he'd ever tell Rodney he considered him to be his best friend.

Sheppard rubbed at his forehead to ease the headache that seemed intent on settling in for the duration as his other hand pulled the data-pad closer. It was time to check the video feed and plan a rescue mission. He quickly found the video and pressed play.

ooOoo

It was eerie watching the images of the Dalerians firing upon the gate without the benefit of sound. Paxton had done well to get them home more or less in one piece. Now all they had to do was to do the same for Elizabeth and the others.

He moved to press the play button again when a call on the radio interrupted him. He raised his hand to his ear and responded. "Sheppard." He listened for a moment before replying. "Tell him I'm on my way and he'd better be there when I arrive or I'll get out the big needles myself."

Sheppard sighed as he pushed himself upright and headed towards the infirmary taking the data-pad with him. He supposed that he should be grateful that Rodney was obviously well enough to be causing trouble in the infirmary but that would only mean he'd be pushing to be on the rescue mission and he wasn't sure he should be. He'd only allowed him on the recon mission because Rodney had been right about his technical skills. Skills that wouldn't be needed tonight. Instead tonight's mission would be a full on military exercise and it would be better to keep Rodney out of it.

ooOoo

Sheppard heard Rodney's voice the moment he stepped into the infirmary and followed the noise to its source.

"Oh thank goodness. Will you tell this voodoo practising sheep herder that I'm fine and he can release me?"

Sheppard ignored his friend's plea as he turned to Carson. "How is he really, Carson?"

"Apart from being his usual annoying self you mean?" asked Carson before continuing. "Minor bump to his noggin and superficial burns to his hands. Nothing that some painkillers, antibiotics and rest won't cure."

"Which I can get back in my own quarters." interrupted Rodney.

"Aye you could but you won't. I know you too well to believe that, Rodney."

"You let Conon go."

Sheppard tried to keep the smirk off his face at his friend's continued whining and the sigh of exasperation coming from Beckett.

"And you can wipe that smirk off your face, Colonel. You're no better."

Sheppard lost the smirk quickly remembering that it wasn't a good idea to piss off the man with the sharp pointy objects before he signed off on a return to full active duty. He didn't want Carson changing his mind about allowing him to lead the rescue mission in a few hours. Sheppard released his own sigh before looking at his friend.

"Oh no you don't Sheppard."

"Rodney-"

"You need my help. How else are you going to get that Jumper out of the gate room?"

"Zelenka is re-programming the auto-"

"Are you nuts? Of course you are. Did you not see how little room there is? Turning off the auto-pilot is a bad idea."

Sheppard wasn't sure just what had happened. Somehow the conversation had turned on him and it wasn't doing anything to calm Rodney down. Nor was it doing anything for his own headache. If anything Rodney looked like he was working himself up to full rant mode and he could see Beckett wasn't happy about it either. Carson wasn't likely to be any happier with his response after all he wasn't supposed to be encouraging the man.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Sheppard purposely ignoring the glare from Carson.

Rodney paused for a moment before reluctantly answering. "No."

Sheppard looked at his friend. He knew that Rodney wished he was the one re-programming the jumper controls and didn't blame him. They weren't that dissimilar in many ways. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, least of all Rodney. "Get some rest, Rodney. I need you fighting fit."

"But-"

"Don't make me sic Ronon on you," interrupted Sheppard.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"He would," added Ronon as he joined them.

"Great, yet another pick on McKay day," sighed Rodney slumping back against his pillow.

"Get some rest, Rodney."

"Like I have a choice."

"You don't," chorused three voices.

"Fine, I'll rest but only until we're ready to go back to Daleria."

Carson followed Ronon and Sheppard as they moved away from Rodney. "I hope you're not seriously planning on taking Rodney on this mission, Colonel."

"Did I say that?" asked Sheppard looking to Ronon.

"Nope."

Carson chuckled. "He won't be happy when he finds out."

"Most likely not but he'll survive," replied Sheppard. By the time Rodney realised he'd been left behind it would be too late for him to do anything about it. No doubt he'd get an earful from the man on his return and would have to put up with cold showers for a while but he could live with that. It was alternative that scared him more than he was prepared to admit.

"You okay?" asked Ronon.

Sheppard heard the concern in Ronon's voice and knew he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding his fears. Now wasn't the time to fall apart. He could do that later when no-one was watching and he had Elizabeth and the rest of his people safely back home. "Come on Ronon. We've a rescue to plan."

ooOoo

Sheppard looked at the men and women gathered in the conference room waiting for his arrival. He checked his watch to see if he was late but no he was in fact a few minutes early. It shouldn't really surprise him given whom it was they planned to rescue. Weir had won over the hearts and minds of all the people on Atlantis except Kavanaugh of course but then, he didn't consider Kavanaugh to be human.

"We all want her back, Colonel."

Sheppard turned to see Teyla approaching him wearing her uniform instead the casual clothes he'd seen her in earlier. "Beckett's cleared you?"

"He has. He did remind me however that he has not actually cleared you for return to active duty."

Sheppard let his head fall at the thought that Beckett could still try to stop him from leading the rescue mission.

"He is worried about you, John, as am I."

"I'm fine," replied Sheppard barely controlling his frustration. First Ronon, now Teyla. He didn't need this. He knew he wasn't being fair but there was no way he was sitting this one out, no matter what anyone said.

He lifted his head to see Teyla watching him closely and breathed out a sigh. "Okay I'm not fine but I have to do this, Teyla. I'll never forgive myself if I don't."

He waited while she continued to study his face before she finally replied. "Then we should not keep them waiting, Colonel."

ooOoo

"Well if there are no other questions," Sheppard paused for a moment before continuing. "I want us ready to move as soon as it's dark on Daleria. We have less than three hours to get ready so let's not waste it. Dismissed."

Sheppard watched as everyone filed out of the conference room. He had long since learned the burden of responsibility that came with leading a military base. It wasn't much different than the one he bore whenever he'd taken his unit out into the field as a Major. But now he was responsible for so many more lives and he knew he couldn't watch over them all. No matter how hard he tried.

He looked out onto the empty balcony as he headed back towards Elizabeth's office. He missed his talks on the balcony with her. She'd always known what to say whenever he'd had any self-doubts and he'd had plenty since arriving on Atlantis. He just hadn't realised how much he relied upon her support till now. He knew his team were worried about him and he understood why. He was worried too. No scratch that. He was scared. What if they couldn't save her? What would he do then?

"_You will find me, John."_

Sheppard startled at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. God he really was losing it. He looked down and noticed the waves washing against the side and realised where he was. He'd spent many hours on this balcony since coming to Atlantis. Now it was just another reminder that she wasn't here with him and maybe never would be again.

"_You _will_ find me, John."_

He scrubbed a hand over his face. Maybe his friends were right to be concerned if he was hearing her voice in his head. This was one mission he couldn't afford to screw up.

"Colonel?"

Sheppard drew in a deep breath of sea air to help clear his head before he turned to see Chuck stood nervously at the balcony doorway. Great now he was scaring the civilians as well. "Yes, Chuck."

"Dr Zelenka has been trying to reach you on the radio. He says he thinks he's completed the re-programming and he needs you in the jumper bay."

Sheppard's hand automatically went to his right ear to feel for his radio. He expected to find it missing and was a little surprised to find it right where it was supposed to be. How had he not heard Radek's call?

"Are you okay, sir?" asked Chuck.

Sheppard dropped his hand to his side. "I'm fine, Chuck. Tell Radek I'm on my way."

ooOoo

She could feel the cold stone against her face and wondered when she'd fallen asleep. A shiver coursed through her body, whether from fear or cold she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about much anymore. Maybe the IOA were right to question her judgement. Not that it mattered anymore. Nothing did. Jenkins had died from his injuries and she doubted it would be long before the rest joined him.

She knew she should move if only to conserve her body warmth but she was beyond caring. Tomorrow Jaymar would start his demands again and her answer would be no different. It could be no different. She could not condemn a whole race of people no matter what they may have done. Jaymar's people did not deserve what had been done to them by the Dalerians but neither did the Dalerian children deserve to be punished for it.

She thought she might have been able to convince Jaymar that there was another way; that he didn't have to kill more people to free his own. But now she knew she'd been wrong. Jenkins was dead and tomorrow Lorne would be too.

She could just make out Lorne's outline in the growing shadows inside their cell. She'd done all she could for him but she knew it wasn't enough. He needed Carson's skills and a soft bed not a cold, dirty floor and a diplomat with questionable basic first aid skills.

She closed her eyes again and wished for the hundredth time that John was by her side. She didn't know when it had happened but she'd grown to depend upon his support and she could definitely use a little of it now. No doubt he'd be telling her not to give up now just as he had done on that first rescue. They'd argued and in the end she'd let him go. Even though she'd understood his argument she'd thought it was too late to save anyone and that she was only sending more good people to their deaths. She had trusted him then and he had not failed her. Maybe she should trust him now.

"_I will find you, Elizabeth."_

His voice startled her and she expected to see him by her side when she opened her eyes, only to be disappointed when he wasn't. He had sounded so real and so sure. If only she could be.

"_I _will_ find you, Elizabeth."_

She closed her eyes again as the sound of his voice echoed in her head. She knew it was just a figment of her imagination but maybe she could lose herself in it and forget about what tomorrow held for her. Even if only for a little while.

ooOoo

Sheppard entered the jumper bay and found Zelenka overseeing the attachment of the cables to Jumper One.

"You sure this will work?" asked Sheppard.

"No. There are many factors that could go wrong," replied Zelenka absently as he continued his work. Sheppard heard him yell something that he didn't doubt was a swear word in Czech before switching back to English. "Not there. The cable needs to be attached to the front."

"I'm glad I asked," muttered Sheppard.

"As I said there are many factors that could go wrong. I have re-programmed the auto-pilot and re-calibrated the ship's sensors. The gate room was not built to take two jumpers at a time. You will only have a few inches to spare at most, Colonel."

"I know but what other choice do we have. Come on, let's do this." Sheppard tapped his radio and ordered everyone other than two of his own men, who had volunteered for the task, out of the gate room. He heard footsteps follow him onboard and turned to protest but Zelenka must have read his mind and beat him to it.

"In case anything goes wrong, Colonel."

"If anything goes wrong there won't be any time to fix it."

"I am staying," replied Radek.

Sheppard saw the determination on the Czech's face and nodded his acceptance. He learnt very quickly that bravery wasn't restricted to just the military ranks on Atlantis. Sheppard closed the rear hatch and fired up the jumper. The next few minutes he knew would be tense given the narrow space he had to work within and he couldn't afford to make a mistake or they would have two wrecked jumpers and one very angry astrophysicist to contend with.

He gently eased the jumper from its bay and shifted it to the area above the bay doors that led to the gate room. Alongside him Zelenka called up an image on his laptop as the bay doors opened.

Sheppard glanced across at Zelenka as he held the ship steady, "Are we good?"

"Yes."

"Dial the beta site." He'd chosen the beta site for the damaged ship's resting ground in case things went pear-shaped as they all too frequently did. They'd be dragging a dead weight out from under the stairs and they had no way of knowing whether Jumper One would even be able to budge it. Anything could happen. The cables could snap, hence the evacuation of the gate room, or the jumper's engines could overload or burn out. Either way it wouldn't matter as the result would be the same. He'd be too close to the ground at the beta site to keep the jumper in the air but at least there would be no-one else in danger, unlike at the alpha site.

Sheppard took a steadying breath to calm his nerves before adjusting the controls and carefully guided the ship down into the gate room. He kept his eyes on the HUD as it showed his relative position to the walls and tried to remember to breathe. This was harder than he thought and they weren't even at the hard bit yet.

The shimmering wormhole came into view as they finally reached the gate room. Sheppard stopped their descent and risked removing a hand from the controls, quickly rubbing it on his leg before returning it to the controls.

"You're doing well, Colonel."

Sheppard wasn't sure he agreed with Zelenka. Hell, he wasn't even sure that Zelenka agreed with his own assessment. It was taking all his concentration to make sure that the ship didn't shift slightly from side to side. He wiped his other hand and tried not to think about how many things could go wrong in the next few minutes.

"How are we doing for room?" asked Sheppard.

Zelenka checked the information on the sensors before replying, "We need to be two feet lower so that the cables will reach."

Zelenka was doing well but Sheppard could almost hear the man's fear. He didn't blame him. Rodney was right, not that he'd admit it to him. What they were doing was totally nuts but what other choice did they have? He took a final deep breath and lowered the ship the last two feet. Now all they had to do was to attach the cables to the damaged vessel, hope that Jumper One had enough power to do the job and do it all while he kept the ship from closing the one inch gap between them and the top of the gate. Easy really.

He radioed his men and ordered them to hook up the cables before opening the rear hatch so that Zelenka could oversee the operation from the back of the jumper. He hadn't been happy about this part of Zelenka's plan but he understood the necessity. It was the whole reason why they were still a couple of feet higher than the downed ship. Any lower and there wouldn't have been enough room to open the hatch. Zelenka had stressed how important it was to attach the cables in just the right location for this to work and he'd seen Zelenka in action often enough to trust his judgement as much as he did Rodney's. He still didn't have to like it though. He never did when civilians took risks that he felt he should be protecting them from and falling out the back of a hovering jumper onto a hard surface ten feet below was one of those risks.

It felt like they were taking forever and he knew that they had a limited time before the gate would automatically shutdown. If that happened he'd have no other option than to take the jumper back out of the way while the gate was re-dialled and then they would have to start the process all over again. He didn't look forward to that prospect.

He really wished he could see what was happening. "How's it going back there, Radek?"

"Almost there, Colonel," replied the Czech.

It took two more minutes before Zelenka was satisfied that both cables were finally attached correctly and gave him the signal to close the hatch. Sheppard then ordered the remaining staff from the gate room as Zelenka returned to the co-pilot's seat. He didn't want to see anyone cut in half by a cable stretched beyond its breaking point.

"How are we doing for time, Radek?"

Radek checked his laptop. "We have twenty two minutes before the wormhole closes."

"Okay, let's finish this," stated Sheppard trying to inject quiet confidence into his voice and not sure whether he'd pulled it off. Twenty two minutes wasn't a lot of time but it was achievable provided nothing went wrong.

He lowered the vessel the final few feet until they were lined up with the gate and only a few inches from the event horizon. He didn't want to think about how few the inches were between the rear of his ship and the downed vessel. He was sure it was less than a healthy distance. He inched his ship forward taking up the slack on the cables. The nose of his jumper had already crossed the event horizon and in a few moments they would, with any luck, follow it.

He hoped the engineers had checked the integrity of the control room floor properly as there was no way he'd know since he'd be half way through the gate if it were to collapse and if it did he might not be able to dial back in. He took a deep breath and urged the craft forward feeling the vessel strain against the cables. Forward motion ceased despite the increase in power. He could feel the vessel's struggle as it pulled on the trapped wreck.

"Radek, we're not moving."

"We are at maximum power, Colonel. I can divert all power to the drives but it may burn them out or worse."

"Do it."

Zelenka dashed into the back of the jumper and Sheppard could hear Zelenka muttering to himself as he worked. Zelenka's idea had to work. They had no other choice. The Daedalus was too far out to use her for the rescue and even though he knew his men would volunteer to do what he was doing now if it meant rescuing Weir. He couldn't let them. It was too risky. He'd have to accept that if this idea didn't work then there would be no rescue.

He felt the ship shift under him unexpectedly followed by a horrible grating noise that vibrated through the ship. "Crap." He'd let his mind wander when he should've known better. He quickly adjusted the controls and inched the vessel away from the edge of the gate before he could do any more damage. "Everything okay back there?"

"I am fine, Colonel. You should have more power...now."

Sheppard felt the change in the ship almost immediately and wasted no time. Normally he was good at keeping track of passing time but at the moment he had no idea how long they had before the gate shutdown.

Zelenka dropped into his seat and looked at the view before him. "Are we moving?"

"No...wait. Yes we are. We're moving!" Sheppard knew he shouldn't celebrate too soon. They still had a long way to go but for now he'd take any good news he could get and this was definitely good news.

ooOoo

Rodney was tired of resting. Hadn't he been here long enough now for people to realise that he didn't need as much sleep as everyone else? Now caffeine he needed but sleep...not so much. Carson had even set the nurses on him with regular bed checks to make sure he was resting. The last one had been a few minutes ago and he planned on being long gone by the time the next one was due. How anyone was supposed to rest with all the interruptions was beyond him but it wouldn't be a problem any longer.

Rodney opened his eyes and checked that the coast was clear before pushing back the bed covers and making good his escape. He didn't know where everyone had suddenly disappeared too and he didn't really care as long as they weren't between him and the infirmary door – which they weren't.

A quick glance over his shoulder showed no sign of anyone other than one or two patients. He smiled smugly, turned and stepped into the hallway only to hit a solid wall of flesh with a grunt.

"Sheppard said you'd try to escape. Surprised it took you this long," stated Ronon.

"He did so not put a watch dog on me...did he?"

Ronon chuckled. "No I came to get some medical supplies for the rescue mission."

"Oh."

"Shouldn't you be moving if you don't want Beckett catching you?"

"Oh...um... yeah, right. You won't tell him will you?" asked Rodney nervously.

"Maybe," replied Ronon with a smirk.

"I'm a dead man," muttered Rodney as he headed towards the gate room.

He skidded to a halt at the entrance to the gate room just in time to see Jumper One move towards the event horizon. He couldn't believe it. They'd done it. Zelenka had over-ridden the auto-pilot and Sheppard had managed to manually fly the jumper around in the tight confines of the gate room. Of course he still had to defy the laws of physics and move an unmovable object. But if anyone could he figured Sheppard could.

He continued to watch as the cables became taut, expecting to hear the scraping sounds of the downed jumper moving any moment. Instead he saw Jumper One stop just as its nose entered the event horizon and heard the unmistakable sound of straining drive motors. They weren't going to succeed unless they could get more power and the only way they could get more power was to direct it away from everything else. Inertial dampeners, weapons, environmental controls. Everything and then it still might not be enough. Damn it, Sheppard should've listened to him.

He looked on in horror as he saw the jumper drift sideways and scrape against the stargate. "No, no, no, Colonel." They couldn't afford to damage their own gate or even to knock it over. It was like watching a train wreck. He wanted to turn away but couldn't. He couldn't even breathe until he finally saw the jumper shift back towards the centre and the screeching sound stopped. "Why do you have to scare me like that, Colonel?"

He sagged against the wall alongside Weir's office feeling spent. He couldn't imagine how Sheppard must be feeling with the amount of concentration required to do what he was doing. And the man had the gall to tell him to rest.

Rodney's attention was drawn back to the jumper as a scraping sound started from beneath his feet followed by a vibration that rippled up through the floor. The downed jumper was moving. They'd done it. A smile touched his lips just as a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"And just what do you think you're doing outta bed?" asked one very angry Scotsman.

**TBC**

**A/N**: At last I hear you say. Sheppard has his intel and a plan and the final obstacle between him and rescuing Elizabeth has been removed. Or has it? Will Beckett change his mind and stop Sheppard from leading the charge? Will Sheppard let him now that he knows how important Elizabeth is to him? Can Elizabeth hold on long enough to be rescued or will she slip further into despair as time runs out for her and Lorne like it already has for Jenkins. And what of Rodney? Are there large needles in his future or will Sheppard change his mind and allow Rodney to join the rescue team? Oh dear things do look a bit dire don't they but rest assured there will be action a plenty to come in the next chapter. Or there will be when I've written it. Don't forget to feed the plot bunnies with their favourite food – reviews.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author****'****s Note:** Thanks to **Shadows-of-Realm** I decided to extend the scene involving Sheppard and the crashed jumper. Hopefully you like it. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 26**

Rodney sighed at the sound of Carson's voice behind him. He hadn't really expected to get away with his escape, Carson was too determined to ever let that happen, but he'd expected to have a little more time before the man had noticed him missing and tracked him down.

"Carson..."

"No."

Rodney's shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned to look at his friend. He noticed for the first time how tired the Scotsman looked and could've kicked himself at the realisation. Of course the man looked tired. In the last few days he'd had to deal with several patients including a recalcitrant Colonel. He felt a sudden flush of guilt at making things worse for his friend before his attention was drawn back to the gate by the sound of one heavy object thudding into another.

"Oh no, no, no. This is not good," cried Rodney as he took in the scene before him. Only the downed jumper was visible and he could see that it was quite clearly caught on the rim of the gate with the cables still taut and disappearing into the open wormhole. No sign of Sheppard's jumper was visible and there was no way that Sheppard could know what had happened.

Rodney pulled away from Carson's hand and quickly moved to the controls. He had to stop Sheppard before the man succeeded in bringing the stargate crashing to the floor. Couldn't the man do anything without breaking himself or anything else around him?

"I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose, Rodney."

Rodney ignored Carson's comment on the words he'd inadvertently spoken aloud and opened a radio channel hoping he could stop Sheppard in time.

ooOoo

Sheppard had no time to admire the pristine white blanket of snow that stretched across the open ground at the beta site as he carefully guided the jumper through the gate. All of his attention was focused on not brushing the ship against the gate again on his exit. One mistake was enough and he was determined not to make a second by letting his concentration slip again. If he remembered he'd have to ask Rodney why the hell the Ancients couldn't make the gates a little larger and give him more room for error. No wonder they used auto-pilot for the job. It was too tiring otherwise. He only hoped that Zelenka could switch the auto-pilot back on before he had to make the return journey. His headache was really starting to bother him and he couldn't afford for it to get any worse.

He pulled his wandering thoughts back as he felt the slow forward movement of the jumper stop altogether. "What the..." Could his day get any worse? "How much time do we have before the gate shuts down?"

Zelenka checked the laptop and frowned at the countdown displayed, "Thirteen minutes."

Damn. He needed more time. If the gate shut down now Atlantis would be in a worse position than they were before. It hadn't taken much for him to work out what the problem was. It could only be one thing. The downed jumper had obviously become caught on something and he had no idea what or how badly. All he could hope to do was to apply more power and try to wiggle the broken vessel out from whatever held it and hope he wasn't destroying the gate room in the process. He really wished he could see what was happening right now. "I don't care how you do it, Radek, but get me more power now."

"_Stop. Stop pulling on the cables, Colonel. The crashed jumper is caught."_

"I know Rodney. Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?" asked Sheppard as he eased the jumper back a fraction. He'd have to have a word with Carson when he got back to Atlantis about letting his patient's escape when they were supposed to be resting.

"_Probably but it's just as well I'm not or the gate would be lying on the floor by now." _

"Oh my."

"Crap." He'd assumed that the vessel was caught on the stairs, being caught on the gate was far worse and time was running out. They needed to act fast. All thoughts of admonishing Rodney vanished as accepted the need for a pair of eyes on Atlantis to guide him out of this mess. "How do we do this, Rodney?"

"_You need to pull the cables to your left. Gently, so that I can make sure you won't pull the gate over."_

Sheppard hoped that Rodney was safely out of the way in case this didn't work. He took a deep breath ignoring the stabbing pain behind his eyes and focussed his thoughts, guiding the jumper gently to his left before shifting it forwards to take up the slack on the cables.

"_You're doing good, Colonel."_

Sheppard was grateful for Rodney's voice guiding him. Without it he'd have no idea whether he was pulling the wreck in the right direction or even how much damage he was doing to the gate. He was starting to think that they just might be able to pull this off when he felt the jumper shudder under his hands.

"_Why have you stopped?"_

"The drive pods are close to overload. The jumper cannot take much more of this," replied Radek.

"We don't have a choice, Radek," replied Sheppard deciding that desperate situations called for desperate measures. He backed the jumper up again as he shifted the craft even further to the left until one of the cables brushed against the gate. Slow hadn't worked last time so this time he moved the vessel forward as quickly as he could hoping the increased momentum would do what gentle tugging had not. Right now he had nothing more to lose. If they didn't shift the wreck in the next few minutes all his plans to rescue Weir would be dead in the water before they'd begun.

Without the inertia dampeners he felt the ship surge forward under his command and a moment later he felt the harsh jolt as the ship snapped to a halt again jerking him forward in his seat. He quickly backed the ship up again and repeated the move hoping that it would make a difference and was buoyed by the scraping sound that came over the open radio link.

"_It's moving, Colonel. Whatever you're doing it's working."_

That was all the encouragement he needed as he repeated the manoeuvre a third time and was rewarded with a sudden surge forward as the wreck freed itself from the gate and followed them through the wormhole.

"_You did it, Colonel."_

He heard Rodney's congratulations vaguely as he concentrated on dragging the wreck clear of their side of the gate. He could hear the drive pods screaming in complaint as he pushed the ship forward one last time to pull the wreck free from the platform and away from the DHD. He tried to compensate when the rear of jumper suddenly dipped towards the planet, ignoring the gasp emanating from the co-pilot's seat. He willed the craft forward, barely managing to keep the jumper from hitting the ground rear end first, realising he'd forgotten that the gate on this planet stood on a plinth several feet above ground level.

No sooner had he remembered that and all hell broke loose as one of the cables snapped allowing the jumper to surge forward violently. Before Sheppard could react the second cable failed and he found himself pushed back into his seat. The vessel leapt forward without the dead weight of the other vessel to holding it back anymore and he didn't need to hear Zelenka's terrified voice to know they were in serious trouble.

His vision greyed and threatened to black out altogether as he battled the sudden increase in g-forces that pinned him to his seat. His headache screamed at him to give in to the darkness but he knew if he did he'd be dead and so would Radek. He fought against the darkness, commanding the speeding ship upwards as he managed to slow them down. He felt the vibrations through the ship when they clipped what he hoped were only trees and started to breathe again when he finally realised they were still in one piece.

He scrubbed a shaky hand across his face and looked across at Radek, not really surprised to find the man slumped unconscious in his seat. He had no intention of telling the man how close they'd both come to an untimely end and he definitely wasn't going to tell Rodney or Carson. No need to give them more ammunition to use against him.

He swung the jumper around and headed back towards the gate. As he approached he could see where the wreck had fallen and was relieved to see that it wasn't blocking their path. At least something had finally gone their way.

He landed the jumper in the clearing next to the gate before checking on his passenger. He was relieved to feel a steady pulse beneath his fingers. He knew that g-forces could easily kill a man and Radek didn't have the benefit of the training that he himself had received in his flight training. He left the man to recover and set about removing the cables from the jumper. He checked Radek again on his return and sighed at finding the man still unconscious. He'd been hoping that he wouldn't have to make the return journey without the benefit of the auto-pilot but it was looking like he wasn't about to get his wishes fulfilled and to make matters worse he'd have to do it without any guidance from Radek and his laptop.

"Well here goes nothing."

Sheppard dialled the gate and waited for the wormhole to form before sending his IDC. He glanced across at Radek when he heard the scientist stirring, glad to see that the man was recovering from his ordeal. This mission had already claimed enough victims. He turned his focus back to the task and lifted the jumper into the air and headed home.

ooOoo

Carson followed Rodney into the Jumper bay just as Sheppard finally guided the jumper into its usual parking slot. He'd already tried to convince the astrophysicist to return to the infirmary unsuccessfully. Instead he'd chosen to follow his friend and make sure he was okay. And by the sound of his angry mumblings he was. It was a quiet Rodney that everyone worried about.

Carson knew that Rodney was worried about Sheppard. It had been obvious to both of them just how much effort it must have been taking to manually control the jumper in such a confined area and to fly it through the gate which wasn't much bigger than the jumper itself. There was no way he was going to be able to convince Rodney to rest until he'd seen that his friend was back and safe for himself. Carson had given in because he understood just how he felt. He knew that the Colonel had a more natural connection to the Ancient equipment than he did but he also knew the man was overwrought and running on fumes and didn't need the additional strain on his body of pulling off this stunt. He had a good mind to ground the man for a month but he knew that doing that now with Elizabeth still missing would be the worst thing he could do to the Colonel.

He nearly changed his mind when he saw Sheppard step down from the jumper. It was obvious that the man was tired and was trying to hide the fact that he had another headache. A bad one by the looks of the tight lines around his eyes. And Zelenka looked no better as he followed the Colonel.

"I think Zelenka could really use your services, Doc," stated Sheppard.

"Aye and he's not the only one by the look of things," replied Carson as he stepped forward to steady the wavering Czech before he fell down. "Rodney make sure the Colonel makes it to the infirmary and you might escape that shot I was planning to give you." Carson was sure that there was a rule somewhere that said threatening patients with sharp needles was not allowed but he'd learned long ago that Rodney hated needles and would do nearly anything to avoid one. He smiled when he saw Rodney step forward and place a hand on Sheppard's elbow. It worked every time without fail.

"Traitor."

ooOoo

Sheppard wanted to glare at Rodney. He really did. After all the man had followed Carson's instructions and dragged him to the infirmary and all to avoid a needle. Rodney deserved to be glared at. But it only served to make his headache worse. And if it got any worse he doubted that Carson would let him out of his sight no matter how good his cause. And there was no way he was going to let that happen. No way at all. So instead of glaring at Rodney he chose to close his eyes and tried to will his headache away. He should've known it wouldn't work.

"So, Colonel, when are we leaving for Daleria?" asked Rodney.

Sheppard sighed. He should've known that Rodney wouldn't stay quiet for long. He never did. He opened his eyes and looked at Rodney. "Rodney-"

"You're not planning on taking me with you, are you?"

"No," replied Sheppard quietly hoping that Rodney would take the hint and lower the volume of his voice. Again it didn't work.

"When did you plan on telling me?"

Sheppard looked away from his friend. He hadn't planned on telling Rodney anything. Instead he'd hoped that Rodney would still be safely asleep in the infirmary when they left.

"You weren't planning on telling me were you?" accused Rodney.

Sheppard heard the anger and disappointment in his friend's voice. "I'm sorry, Rodney. I should've told you."

"Yeah, you should've," replied Rodney the anger gone from his voice. "It's not too late to change your mind, you know. You never know when you might need my skills or my intelligence to save the day."

Sheppard smiled despite his aching head. Rodney loved the opportunity to remind everyone just how intelligent he was but the truth of the matter was that Rodney really had saved the day on more than one occasion putting his own life on the line to save everyone else.

"Fine, Rodney. You win. If Carson releases you then you can join the mission. Just don't let me regret it."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, Rodney."

"Carson!" yelled Rodney. "Get your sheep-loving butt over here."

Sheppard groaned as his head threatened to explode at the sound of his friend yelling. He already regretted his decision to allow the man on the mission. He kept his head bent and his eyes closed nearly jumping out of his skin when he felt a hand at his elbow.

"Right, Colonel. Let's get a look at you."

"I'm fine, Carson. How's Zelenka?" asked Sheppard surprised that he hadn't heard the man approach.

"You're not fine, Colonel, so you can stop trying to hide your headache," replied Carson. "I've given Zelenka some painkillers for his headache and with some rest he'll be fine."

Sheppard knew what was coming but he still couldn't control his reaction when a flash of light hit him in the right eye. He pulled his head back and groaned at the spike of pain that resulted.

"I'm not surprised you have a headache, lad. Radek told me what happened. You're lucky you didn't black out and crash the jumper."

"Why would he black out?" asked Rodney. "What did you do, Sheppard?"

"I didn't do anything. The cables snapped," replied Sheppard.

"The cables...oh my god...Radek diverted the power from the inertial dampeners to the drive-pod's didn't he? Do you know what those g-forces can do to a person?"

"Yes Rodney. I do," replied Sheppard wishing that his friend could just turn the volume down to a bearable level before his brain actually exploded.

"You're not helping, Rodney," added Carson. "Now Colonel, I'd like to give you some Vicodin-"

"No, it'll make me drowsy," interrupted Sheppard. The last thing he needed was something that would make him sleepy or loopy. He could see that Carson wasn't happy with him and he knew he'd have to pay the price for his behaviour eventually but he didn't care as long as Carson didn't try to stop him from leading this mission.

"Okay, Colonel. Tylenol it is but once this mission is complete I'll be making sure that you are off active duty until I say otherwise. Do I make myself clear?"

"Fine," replied Sheppard.

"And I want you to rest for an hour," added Carson as he handed Sheppard some pills.

ooOoo

"Carson?"

"You're supposed to be resting, Rodney," replied Carson as he continued to update his most frequent patient's case notes.

"I've been resting. Sheppard won't let me on the mission unless you release me-"

"You've been hanging around Sheppard for too long," snorted Carson before noticing the look of concern on Rodney's face. Of course the man was worried about Sheppard. So was he but he doubted Rodney understood what was really eating away at Sheppard. For someone that was supposed to be so brilliant he could be completely obtuse when it came to matters of the heart. Still he was a good friend of the Colonel and it wouldn't hurt to have someone else in the man's corner protecting his back. "I'll release you when I release him. Now go back to bed and rest before I change my mind."

"Thanks, Carson."

Carson shook his head before turning back to the computer monitor. Those two were going to see him into an early grave if they didn't beat him to it.

OoOoo

The hour passed quietly which was not a bad thing for an infirmary but it was a surprise given that two members of the premiere team were currently ensconced within its walls. Carson finished off the dregs of his coffee and headed over to where the Colonel was hopefully still resting peacefully. He'd checked in on the man earlier to find him fast asleep. He would prefer to keep him that way for a while longer as he knew it was the best thing for the man's headache but he understood Sheppard's need to lead the mission and against his better judgement he had agreed to let the man go.

"Colonel?"

Carson waited and watched Sheppard as the man woke from his sleep. The tightness around the eyes had lessened but he suspected the headache was still lingering. "How's the head?"

Sheppard rubbed a hand across his face to wipe the sleep away. "Better. Thanks."

"You're welcome, lad. Just don't make me regret my decision to realise both you and Rodney for this rescue mission of yours. I'm getting tired of patching you up all of the time."

ooOoo

Sheppard finished donning his tac-vest as he entered the armoury to collect his P-90 and some extra clips. The marines had already loaded the required arsenal onto the waiting jumpers and everyone was ready to go. Darkness had already fallen on Daleria and they would be leaving soon. One way or another this mission would be completed tonight. He would find his people, find Elizabeth and bring her back. He had to. He now knew she meant everything to him and he wasn't sure what he would do if he didn't bring her back alive.

He pulled his wandering thoughts back under control and scrubbed a hand over his face as Rodney joined him.

"You okay?"

"Let's do this," replied Sheppard ignoring Rodney's question, instead choosing to switch to full-on military mode. He had a mission to lead and he needed to keep focussed if he wanted to succeed and get his people, all of his people, back in one piece.

He headed out, Rodney hurriedly grabbing his gear and following.

"Hey, are you even going to tell me the plan?"

Sheppard cast a look over his shoulder at his friend. "It's simple. We'll dial the gate, toss through some flash bangs, tear gas and smoke bombs to make it uncomfortable for the Dalerians and increase the chance that the jumpers will make it through unharmed. We then make our way to the Ree-Tan settlement, locate and free our people then head on home."

"Right and of course nothing will go wrong," mumbled Rodney as they entered the jumper bay to find the others waiting for them.

Sheppard ignored Rodney's comment. He was well aware of the risks they were taking. They couldn't afford for anything to go wrong this time. If it did it would likely cost Elizabeth her life and he knew he couldn't handle that.

Sheppard sat himself in the pilot's seat and started his pre-flight check as the others filed into the jumper and took their places. He knew the other two teams were doing the same thing in the neighbouring jumpers; he only hoped he could keep them all safe and bring them back with the others. Time would tell. Just in case, he'd left word with Chuck that the when the Daedulus came within range they were to be contacted. He was sure that Caldwell would be more than happy to provide some extra fire power should it be needed and if things went pear-shaped there was every chance that they would.

Sheppard finished his checks and glanced over his shoulder to see his team ready. "Let's do this, kids." He tapped his radio. "Dial the gate, Chuck. Jordan, get your guys ready to do their thing as soon as the gate opens."

Sheppard was grateful to have the ship's auto-pilot back in control as the jumper lowered into the gate room. Flying the ship manually had been nearly impossible and he still had a headache to remind him about it. He took one last breath to steady his nerves before launching the vessel through the gate and out into the murky haze left by the smoke bombs. He cloaked the jumper as it climbed quickly out of the reach of the Dalerians guarding the gate. He acknowledged the pilots of the other vessels as they joined him having all successfully avoided any damage before pointing the jumper in the direction of the Ree-Tan settlement. Now all they had to do was work out where in the settlement his people were being held and get them back.

**TBC **

**A/N:** At last, Sheppard's on his way to rescue the damsel in distress. Will he find her in time? Will they make it back home or will the plot bunnies throw some more mayhem their way? Will our heroes have to spill more blood along the way? Who knows, I'm not even sure I know what's coming next but I do know there's only one way to find out and it isn't by bribing the writer. No you'll just have to sign on for a story alert and while you're down there why not add a review. You never know where it might lead. It might be all the plot bunnies need to add an extra twist or some whumpage.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 27**

Elizabeth smiled at the sound of familiar footsteps behind her. She'd wondered how long it would take for him to realise she was her here. Somehow he always knew when she needed to escape for a moment. Always knew when she needed some time to herself and always knew when she needed company. It didn't seem to matter where he was or what he was doing. Somehow he just knew. It was one of the qualities that she liked most about him.

He joined her at the railing moments later, enclosing her within his arms. Supporting her with his strength and making her feel safe. Those were other things she loved about him. She wasn't sure exactly when she'd fallen in love with John but she couldn't imagine life any other way now.

She felt his hands encircle her growing belly. She knew what he was waiting for; understood his need to confirm the existence of the new life they had created. Some days she still struggled to believe that they would soon be parents then Junior would deliver one of his kicks and remind her that it was all real. So very real.

She leaned into him as he brushed his lips against her neck and covered his hands with her own. She could stay here like this forever, enjoying the feel of his body against hers and the movement of the life growing inside her. "I love you John."

He replied without lifting his lips from her skin no doubt well aware of the affect his warm breathe had on her. "Love you back... let's finish up...for the day... maybe grab a bite...and have an...early night."

"Isn't that how you got me into this state in the first place?" she replied with a smile.

"Is that a complaint?" asked John shifting his attention to her other side.

"No, not at all," she replied tilting her head slightly to give him better access as she thought back to their first time together. "An early night sounds like a good idea." She could think of nothing she'd like more right now than to lay wrapped up in his strong, protective arms and forget about the mountain of paperwork that waited for her on her desk. "Come on let's go."

John kept one arm loosely wrapped around her waist, or what was left of it, as they turned towards the door. He must've sensed her tiredness, not that that was surprising since she couldn't remember being anything else but tired these days. Yeah an early night was definitely a good idea. An early night followed by a sleep-in if she could get away with it.

The kick when it came caught her by surprise. It was much stronger that Junior's earlier efforts. She was definitely having a boy and he was no doubt destined to play football like his father.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Junior is just being a bit rough."

She guided John's free hand over her belly, knowing another kick would come soon and she wasn't disappointed. She watched John's face as a big smile broke out. Her own smile quickly turned into a grimace as Junior continued his kicks, each more violent than the last. Something was wrong. A look of worry replaced John's smile as she doubled over from the pain that assailed her. Her legs no longer held her weight and she found herself sliding towards the floor. She heard John call to the infirmary on his radio but it sounded so far away. Then he was down on the floor by her side as her vision started to grey out but still the pain in her belly continued.

"Leave her alone."

She heard Lorne's voice, felt the cold stone floor beneath her cheek and knew she wasn't on Atlantis anymore. She didn't need the kick to her stomach that came anyway to realise she had been dreaming; that John wasn't here with her and she wasn't safely within his arms. She wished she could return to her dream world, where everything had been perfect, but knew she couldn't. Just as she knew the pain wouldn't stop with her return to the real world.

She opened her eyes wondering how long she had slept for. Surely it couldn't be morning already. She didn't want to believe that her time had run out.

"Get moving woman. Jaymar does not have all day to wait for you," growled the Ree-Tan guard responsible for her new bruises.

He looked ready to take another swing at her stomach if she didn't get moving quickly. She didn't think she could handle another blow. She could still feel the impact of his last kick. It made her feel weak even though she knew she shouldn't. She have never been trained in how to deal with torture, didn't even know how training could ever really prepare you to handle something like this. But handle it she would have to as she doubted Jaymar would change his mind when it came to the Ancient weapon he wanted her to help him with and there was no way she planned to give him what he wanted.

The guard broke her from her thoughts with another kick, aiming at her leg this time, reminding her that she was supposed to be moving not wallowing in her own pity.

"I said... leave her alone you great-"

Lorne's words were cut off by the heavy punch that connected with his midriff. She saw his struggle to remain upright and felt guilty that she'd put him in this position with her stubbornness. "Leave him be. I will come with you." She pushed herself upright and nearly collapsed again as pain rippled through her insides at the movement. The guard grasped her arm roughly and shoved her towards the door.

ooOoo

Brille studied the men riding out before him into the night heading towards the Great Wall and the Ree-Tan settlement. It had taken many years to reach this point but at last his time was near. He was tired of sharing this planet with the people his forebears hadn't had the strength to destroy. Soon he would have what he wanted, what he needed. Soon he would have his hands on the Lantean woman again and hopefully the key to eliminating every last Ree-Tan, not just those in the settlement that they were headed towards. Once they were gone there would be no more need for the wall and his people could expand their population across the planet. And with the device he could protect them from the Wraith, allow them to prosper and to reach the heights that they had once held before their world had been destroyed. Some day his people would be as powerful as the Ancients had once been.

Brille pulled himself from his thoughts as Horan rode up to his side.

"We are nearing the wall, Chief Master. I have sent my men ahead to set the charges. The strong winds should keep the noise from travelling to the settlement."

"Have the men finished clearing the area of mines?" asked Brille.

"Yes, sire. We lost three men in the process but the path is clear. There is no reason why we should not breach the wall and reach the settlement tonight," replied Horan.

"Good. I want the Lantean woman alive. She can read the language of the Ancestors. She is the key to accessing the device. Once the wall is breached I want you to locate her and bring her to me. I do not care what happens to the others but she is valuable. Do I make myself clear?" asked Brille

"Yes, sire." replied Horan.

"Good."

ooOoo

Ronon kept his eyes on Sheppard. He'd seen him in action against the Wraith, seen him face the threat of turning into a bug and seen Sheppard offering his life to protect others. Those experiences had taught Ronon that John Sheppard was well-versed in hiding his fear. It was a useful trait when faced with an enemy only too pleased to play on your fears to gain what they wanted. Not so useful when the only ones to see were your friends. But Ronon knew that Sheppard preferred to keep many things private even when there was no real need. He was sure that Sheppard would prefer it if his current fears were just as well-hidden but seven years surviving as a runner had taught him to look beyond the obvious, to see the subtle signs and right now he could see that Sheppard was scared. He doubted that Rodney would notice anything. He was too busy studying the view outside the portal. But a quick glance towards Teyla confirmed he wasn't the only one to notice the tenser than normal shoulders, the less frequent snarky comments and the more frequent glances across at Rodney. Sheppard was worried about his friend and he was worried about Weir. And based on the intel they had he had every reason to be.

Ronon didn't doubt that they would Weir. Now that they had some idea where she might be there would be no going back until they found her. He could only hope for his friend's sake that they found her alive. The man had given him his life back, given him a family and Ronon would give it all up if it meant finding Weir alive. He still felt the pain of losing Melina even after all these years and he would do anything he could to protect his friend from the same pain.

"Okay boys and girls, we're here. Let's check-out the life signs and make sure everyone's where they're supposed to be," announced Sheppard as the settlement came into view.

Ronon watched the HUD as the image changed from a map of the terrain to a layout of the buildings below. Dots marking the locations of the Ree-Tan inhabitants were scattered. A few were on the move but most were stationery, probably sleeping. He ignored those for the moment and concentrated on the moving dots, studying their movements. There was no discernable pattern. Not in their numbers or their paths. They moved too slowly or randomly to be patrols.

"No patrols," added Ronon.

"And we've no idea where they're holding Elizabeth and the others," stated Rodney.

"No but they do," replied Sheppard as he lowered the jumper into a shallow gully effectively hiding them from the settlement.

"And what? They're gonna just tell us?" asked Rodney turning to face Sheppard.

Ronon watched as Sheppard turned from the controls. Gone was the usually happy go lucky expression and in its place was the face of a warrior. Ronon had seen that face before. He'd worn it himself for seven years and by the look of Rodney's reaction it wasn't the first time he'd seen that face either. Whatever happened tonight the Ree-Tan would pay a heavy price for taking their people.

Sheppard stood and gathered his gear. "Rodney, stay with the Jumper. Take it back up and be prepared to provide a distraction."

"Whoa, wait a minute. You want them to start firing at me? Do I look like a fighter pilot?"

Sheppard turned to face Rodney as he tucked the spare clip of ammunition into his Tac vest, "You'll be fine, Rodney. Peters and Franklin will provide the main firepower if we need it."

Rodney swallowed nervously, "Fine. I'll float around in the air and wait until you need me to rescue your sorry ass, yet again."

"Whatever you say, Rodney." Sheppard picked up his P-90 and turned back to face the others. "Okay guys, time to move out. Ronon, you're with Teyla. Harvey you're with me. We do this as planned. And remember; keep it quiet, we don't want the Ree-Tan to know we're here."

Ronon followed Sheppard out into the night before peeling off to his right and heading towards his first target with Teyla shadowing his footsteps twenty feet to his left.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear will Sheppard and his team get to Weir in time? I know I hope so. Or will the Dalerians beat them? Only the plot bunnies know the answer to that one and they're not telling – not yet anyway. So stay tuned for the next chapter where no doubt some more mayhem will be dished out to our favourite characters and don't forget to reward the plot bunnies with a review to let them know how they're going with their evil plans.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 28**

Horan moved into position as the last of the charges were laid. He would be the first one through into Ree-Tan territory once the black powder was triggered. He'd waited for this moment for a long time. Too long it had seemed but at last it was here and soon they would have the means to finally eradicate the Ree-Tan.

He waited as his men fell back to their positions behind him, signalling that the charges were ready. He unclipped a small sphere from his belt. The object fitted easily in the palm of his hand and looked harmless enough. Horan twisted the top of the device clockwise until he heard the soft click that confirmed the detonator was armed. He looked away from the wall to protect his night vision as he triggered the detonator.

The black powder erupted in a flash bringing down a wall of stone that had stood tall for generations. Now as he turned back all he saw was a pile of rubble and a clear path to his target. Horan pushed himself upright and scrambled over the fallen stone guiding his mount through the debris. Silus and his men would soon follow but for now he needed to move quickly. The sooner he found the Lantean woman the sooner they would be rid of the Ree-Tan vermin. He mounted his beast and broke into a steady jog knowing he could keep this pace going over a long distance. It would be enough to get him to the settlement quickly without wearing him out.

ooOoo

Horan slowed his pace as the settlement came into view. So far he had seen no-one but it was still early in the evening and it was likely that the Ree-Tan were still going about their normal evening activities. He smiled at the surprise that awaited them this night. There would be nothing normal about it.

He dismounted and slipped into the shadows of a yahren tree at the edge of the settlement and studied the nearby buildings. They were smaller than those of the Dalerian and unlike the buildings of his own people these were built from rough stone. A narrow pathway ran between them that he assumed would take him to the centre of the settlement. It would also give him no protection. Even under the cover of darkness his black clothing would instantly be recognised by any Ree-Tan that spotted him. The way he saw it he had two choices. He could keep to the shadows behind the buildings and circle his way around the settlement as he searched for his target but that would take him twice as long. Or he could take the quicker option and find himself a Ree-Tan willing to lend him some clothes. _Well maybe he won't be so willing_, thought Horan. Now all he had to do was find a suitable volunteer.

He left the relative safety of the yahren tree and crossed the open ground. There were no windows on this side but still he kept to the shadows as he edged his way to the far corner of the building. He stilled for a moment, listening. He could hear the muted sound of a baby crying in the distance but nothing nearer. A quick glance round the corner confirmed what his ears had already told him. No-one was there. Obviously he wasn't going to find his volunteer that easily but he hadn't really expected to. It didn't really matter anyway. He'd find his target one way or another. He'd never failed in a mission yet and he wasn't about to start now.

He crept round the corner keeping close to the wall. He doubted that the Ree-Tan would have a patrol roaming but it didn't pay to take the chance. Not yet anyway. A light came on in a window just far enough ahead to not catch him in its reach. He paused as a shadow crossed its path. _Most likely some Ree-Tan wench preparing the evening meal_, thought Horan. He doubted that the Ree-Tan would use the outermost building to house the Lantean. He wouldn't and despite his feelings towards the Ree-Tan people he could not afford to underestimate them.

He closed the gap to the window and stole a glance confirming his guess. A scrawny woman, old enough to be his mother if she were still alive, stood at a small table chopping a large brown tuber. He recognised the tuber and almost felt sorry for the woman if that was all she had to choose from for a meal. He had tried it once whilst injured on a field mission in his youth. He had been desperate for food, unable to hunt for anything else at the time, but one mouthful of the foul tasting root had quickly shown him he wasn't desperate enough to eat koba root. Luckily he was rescued before he was forced to change his mind. _Do the Ree-Tan despise their own people so much once they age that they do not provide them with better food? Yet another reason to dislike them, _he thought.

Horan pushed the thoughts away and ducked below the window as he continued to the far corner of the building. A narrow gap ran between this house and the next. Wide enough for two people to walk side by side but not much more. He didn't like the idea of such a narrow space. It wouldn't give him any room to move should someone come round the corner. No, he would stick with his original plan until he found a reason to change it.

He slipped by the next two homes quickly only pausing to check their contents as best he could through an unlit window. He doubted any building with a window was likely to house the Lantean unless it also housed a few Ree-Tan guards. No, the building he was looking for most likely didn't have any windows unless they were fortified with bars.

He continued his search until he came across a wider passage between two homes. It was obviously another thoroughfare into the centre of the settlement judging by his view of several doors facing out onto the pathway. It also proved to highlight that his current method of searching wasn't up to the task. He needed to check the inner buildings and he couldn't do that whilst scouting around the edge of the settlement.

ooOoo

Teyla covered the open ground quickly, reaching the dubious protection of a thorn bush. In daylight it would make for poor cover but during the night it would suffice to hide her presence. She peered through the sparse leaves and studied the collection of buildings before her. She had heard Maran's tale and knew that the Ree-Tan people had been forced to struggle out an existence on land barely capable of providing enough sustenance. She had seen it before but she would never understand how one race could justify the subjugation of another so mercilessly.

A moment later Ronon sank to the ground beside her, his weapon at the ready and she was on the move again. She melted into the building's shadow, her P-90 at the ready and waited for Ronon to join her.

ooOoo

Sheppard scanned the area ahead. He'd already checked the LSD but it could only tell you so much. It couldn't tell you which way the enemy faced and whether they were armed or not. And it couldn't tell him which dots belonged to Elizabeth or Lorne's team. It could tell him the layout of the settlement but he'd already memorised that from watching the surveillance video several times.

Seeing no eyes focussed their way, he signalled the young Sergeant forward. There weren't many people out on the streets but he knew that could change anytime and he didn't want to be in the open any longer than he had to be. Teyla and Ronon should be nearing their target any minute now and he knew they weren't far from theirs. Hopefully one of them would hold his people and they could end this quickly.

Sheppard waited till the Sergeant reached cover before following him across the open ground. Somewhere off to his right he heard the sound of a door opening and increased his pace reaching the protection of the building's shadows as a tall man stepped out onto the path ten feet away. Sheppard held his breath hoping that the man wouldn't turn his way. If he did he was sure he'd be spotted despite being in shadow. He could only hope that Harvey had the good sense to hold off from doing anything stupid. With any luck the Ree-Tan man would go the other way and be completely unaware of the danger.

Sheppard held his position, not daring to move as a second man joined the first. Both seemed relaxed, unaware of his presence but neither seemed ready to move away either. They shifted with impatience turning to look back towards the open door.

"Hurry up, Tavi. I've got business with Shara tonight and she don't like to be kept waiting."

Sheppard tightened his grip on his P-90 as he spotted the weapon strapped to the thigh of the man who had spoken. The weapon looked crude but even crude could be effective and he'd rather not find out how effective. He tensed further as he heard the sounds of more footsteps approaching before a third man joined the other two. He slapped his friends across the shoulders as he laughed.

"Can't have you missing out with Shara."

Sheppard let his breathe out as the trio turned away from his position and strode out across the pathway. He waited until he couldn't hear them any more before he relaxed and stepped away from the wall. That had been closer than he liked. He needed to get a move on and reach his destination before the Ree-Tan learned of their presence. He glanced over to Harvey's hiding spot and signalled for him to move out again following him moments later.

They didn't see anyone else as they covered the remaining distance to their target. Sheppard stopped and checked their surroundings making sure that they were still alone. It wouldn't pay to get caught this close to their goal. He pulled the life signs detector from his Tac vest and confirmed the number of life signs coming from the nearby building. His gut tightened as he realised there were fewer life signs than before. He didn't want to think about what that might mean. Hopefully it just meant that they were no longer under guard.

He slipped the device back into his pocket and signalled the Sergeant forward as he dashed across the open ground. He reached the building easily, spotting the wooden bar that kept the door to the building closed. That alone was enough to tell him that this was indeed the location he'd been looking for and that there would be no guards inside. The lack of guards outside didn't really surprise him either. The Ree-Tan weren't the first to assume that no-one could sneak into their camp unseen. Obviously they didn't think the Dalerians could get beyond the wall and they were even less likely to be expecting the Lanteans.

Sheppard waited for Harvey to join him by the door before signalling for the young man to lift the wooden bar. Harvey did as he was instructed, removing the bar as quietly as he could before leaning it against the wall out of the way. Harvey waited for Sheppard's signal before he pulled the door open and followed his CO into the dimly lit room.

The smell of unwashed bodies and death permeated the building making Sheppard want to gag. Lorne was slumped on the floor surrounded by a group of sickly looking older men. The Dalerian historians he assumed. He felt little sympathy for them given what the Dalerians had done to Clarke. They stepped back once they saw the weapons pointed in their direction. "Keep an eye on them Sergeant."

Sheppard knelt by Lorne's side and placed a hand on the man's shoulder as he tried to raise himself from the ground. "Easy, Major. Where are the others?"

"T-They took...her," replied Lorne. "I'm...sorry, sir."

"Where? Where did they take her?" asked Sheppard. He felt guilty pushing Lorne for answers. His injuries looked horrific and the man was obviously feeling his own guilt for what had happened to Elizabeth and his team. There would be time to deal with that later. Right now he needed information if he was to find Elizabeth before his team's presence was detected.

"Five...buildings...that way," replied Lorne as he lifted a trembling hand to show which way he meant.

Sheppard wanted to ask whether she was hurt but he knew he needed to get moving. He needed to get Lorne out of here and then find the others. He glanced around the room again noticing that another of their number was missing.

"Where's Jenkins?"

"J-Jenkins...is dead," replied Lorne. "They tried...to get Doctor...Weir to... c-co-operate...using him."

_And you by the look of it_, thought Sheppard. The thought of Elizabeth being placed in that position sickened him. He'd seen her trying to hide the tears and feelings of guilt while she wrote letters to family members whenever an expedition member died. He had no doubt she would hold herself to blame for Jenkins death.

He pushed the thought aside knowing now was not the time to deal with it. There would be plenty of time later once he got her back to Atlantis and safety but first he had to find her.

"Harvey, take Lorne back to the Jumper."

"Yes, sir."

"What... about us? Surely you will not leave us here. The Ree-Tan will kill us."

Sheppard tapped his radio on as he stepped away from Lorne. "Teyla, I've found Lorne and the historians. Harvey's taking him back to the Jumper. Elizabeth is being held five buildings north of my target. I'm heading there now. I need you and Ronon to take the historians to the edge of the settlement." He didn't wait for a response before turning back to Harvey. The young Sergeant had already lifted Lorne across his shoulders. He didn't like sending the man back on his own with an injured man but he had no choice. There wasn't time to wait for the others to arrive.

Sheppard leaned against the doorframe as he checked that the no-one was in sight before looking back at Harvey. "Go, Sergeant. I'll cover you until you make the first intersection."

"Thanks. Good luck, sir."

ooOoo

Time was moving on and Horan still had found no sign of the Lanteans. Checking each building was painstaking and the longer he took the bigger the risk of discovery. He had already taken far too long. Silus and his men would be arriving soon and when they did his chance to retrieve the Lanteans alive for Brille would be greatly reduced. Brille would be angry and he would pay the price with his life if he did not find a solution quickly.

The sound of laughter echoed from nearby and Horan smiled. Maybe he had his answer. The settlement may be too large for him to search on his own but it was not too large for the locals to know where the strangers were being held. He quickened his pace, keeping to the shadows as he made his way towards the laughter.

It didn't take long before he spotted the two young girls giggling and chatting as they walked along the pathway. Horan slipped deeper into the shadows and watched them. They were moving slowly and paying no heed to their surroundings. It would be easy for him to sneak up on them but he couldn't risk the alarm being raised by the second girl before he could silence her. Not when he didn't know if they had the information he needed. It would be best to follow them for now.

The girls wandered passed him, unaware of his presence. They were now close enough that he could hear their words quite clearly. They were indeed talking about the strangers in town. It would seem that his luck was changing and he may soon have the details he required. He could handle both girls if necessary but it would be easier with only one. It was obvious that they were no more than 11 or 12 seasons old. He would give them a few minutes more; maybe they would separate at the next corner.

Luck was indeed with him tonight as the girls stopped near a building he had already confirmed as a home and made their goodbyes. He slipped behind the corner of the nearest building well aware that light would spill out onto the path once the door opened. The second girl remained where she was as the first disappeared into her home giving one final wave before closing the door.

Horan confirmed that no-one else was within sight before stepping out onto the walkway. He quickly caught up with the remaining girl and wrapped a hand around her face, covering her mouth as he pulled her towards him with the other. "Do as I say and I won't hurt you. Scream or call out and I will kill you." He tightened his grip on her to make his point. Her arms were trapped within his grasp and he could feel her ribs flex with the pressure he applied. Much more and they would snap like twigs. Her struggles quietened and he pulled her into the shadows behind a home that stood in darkness. Seconds later he had her back pushed up against the stone wall with her face centimetres from his own, her feet dangling. One hand still covered her mouth as the other wrapped around her throat and held her in place. "If you make a sound I will kill you. Do I need to kill you?"

He could see the fear in her eyes and felt her trembling as she shook her head. He studied her for a moment longer, letting her see the threat in his own eyes before he lifted his hand slightly. "Tell me where I can find the strangers in town and I will let you go."

"I-I saw the woman...being taken to the punishment cell... six junctions north and one junction east of here. T-The others are being held three junctions west of there...please do not hurt me."

"I will not hurt you," replied Horan as he lowered the girl to the ground. He would reward her co-operation with a quick death. She did not need to know it was coming. His hand was back over her mouth and her back was to him as he whispered in her ear. "When I let go, run back home and tell no-one that I was here." He felt the girl nod and relax slightly before he quickly twisted her neck. The crack of bone breaking sounded loud in the silence but there was no-one close enough to hear the girl's death. He quickly disposed of her body where it would remain unnoticed till daylight and headed north in search of his target. He should be able to move much faster now that he knew where he was going and he needed to move fast if he was to capture the woman before the Ree-Tan 'punished' her with their barbaric weapons. Brille needed her alive.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Oh dear, I think Horan and Sheppard are both headed for the same location. Who will get there first and will she still be alive? Insert evil laugh here as I'm not telling. At least Sheppard has found Lorne and sent him on his way to safety. Hopefully he doesn't run into the bad guy, Horan, on the way back to the Jumper either. Can they all really be sneaking around in the same settlement without running into each other? Maybe they'll get lucky this time. Maybe not. Tune in next time to find out.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven as hopefully is my tardiness in updating this story. The next chapter is already drafted and just needs a spot of polishing so it shouldn't be far behind as the action heats up. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 29**

Ronon didn't like the order he'd been given. The Dalerians didn't deserve their help. They didn't deserve anyone's help. They were the ones ultimately to blame for the capture of the Lanteans by the Ree-Tan and he was damned if he was going to help save their hides when it was more important to get Weir to safety.

His mind made up he turned to Teyla and found her watching him. There wasn't anything that got passed the Athosian. Not for the first time he wondered if she could read his mind.

"We need to go now Ronon."

He knew arguing with her was a bad idea but he'd already made his mind up and nothing she could say would change it.

"The Colonel is relying on us to get these people to safety."

"Why Teyla? They didn't care about Weir's safety nor do they care about what they've done to the Ree-Tan people."

"That is of no count," replied Teyla. "John has given his word to these people that we will get them out. It is our duty to do as he asks."

"And what of Sheppard and Weir's safety? What if she's hurt?" growled Ronon. He knew how important honour was to Teyla. It was important to him as well but he owed everything to Sheppard and Weir. Without them he would still be a Runner. They had saved him and he would do everything he could to return the debt.

As he watched her the fire in her eyes quietened and she took a step backwards.

"Go Ronon. I will manage the historians."

Ronon nodded his acceptance before turning his mind to his task. It would not take him long to reach the location where Weir was being held. Both the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians would rue the day they had chosen to mess with the people he now thought of as family.

ooOoo

It seemed to take forever to cover the distance to the cell where Elizabeth had been taken but in reality it was only a few minutes. It had taken all of Sheppard's training to keep from running to her side as fast as he could and to hell with the risk. His thoughts kept flashing back to Lorne and his injuries. Was Elizabeth in the same state or worse? He didn't think he would be able to control his anger if she was. According to Maran the Ree-Tan were a victim of the Dalerian greed. Ordinarily he would have sympathised with them but not now. Not while they still held the woman he loved.

There was no guard on the only door. Not that the presence of one would've stopped him. He silently crossed the open ground and pressed his back against the stone wall as he moved into position. He paused as a male voice carried to him from inside. The man sounded angry and impatient. The sound of flesh hitting flesh followed. He clamped down on his rising anger. He needed to remain in control until Elizabeth was safe.

He took a deep breath to calm his anger and reached for the door pushing it open in one swift move as he stepped into the room. His eyes quickly found the Ree-Tan as he towered over Elizabeth. He threatened the man with his weapon, forcing him to take a step backwards, away from Elizabeth. He spared her a quick glance to reassure himself that she was okay. He saw her eyes widen in fright and swung round to see another man lunging towards him with a strange weapon in his hand. A sharp pain ripped through his left arm as he dodged to one side and used the man's momentum against him, slamming him into the wall beside him. The man's head hit first and the sound of breaking bones was unmistakable. The man's body started its lifeless slide to the floor before he noticed that the whipcord was covered in sharp barbs that were now wrapped around the barrel of his P-90. As the Ree-Tan dropped so did his weapon.

He drew his Mark 9 as he spun back to face the first man but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the tail of the whip as it flashed towards him and wrapped around his right arm. This time there was no dodging the barbs as they buried themselves deep in his flesh and drew blood. He gritted his teeth against the pain as the Ree-Tan tugged on the cord tightening its hold on his arm. It felt like his flesh was being torn from his arm but he couldn't afford to drop his weapon.

"Drop the weapon."

"I don't think so," replied Sheppard.

"You can't beat the Flail. No-one can," added Jaymar giving the whip another tug and smiling.

Sheppard felt the barbs digging in deeper as the cord tightened its hold further. The weapon was slipping from his grip and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. His fingers had grown numb as the whip tightened. He reached for the knife sheathed at his back knowing it was his last chance. He slipped the knife into Elizabeth's hands as Jaymar yanked on the whip throwing his balance off-centre. Sheppard went with the momentum and threw his weight against the larger man. He didn't need to win the fight. He knew he couldn't, not against someone that would be more than a match for Ronon. He just needed to buy some time so Elizabeth could get far enough away.

He caught a glimpse of her as he was slammed into the wall. She was free but she wasn't running. Instead she was bending down to pick up something. He wanted to yell at her to run but he couldn't afford to draw the Ree-Tan's attention to her. He slammed his knee upwards hitting his mark and pushing the howling man away from him before nearly collapsing himself when the whip pulled taut between them. His vision greyed and he felt himself falling as his brain registered the sound of a blaster discharging. He saw Jaymar crumple as he felt hands lifting his right arm. He recognised those hands. The fingers were long and slender. Just like their owner. They worked quickly at removing the whipcord from around his arm. A shadow fell across his face and he dragged his attention away from the beautiful brunette tending his arm to see the Satedan towering over him.

"Disobeying my orders again I see," mumbled Sheppard.

"Dumb order," replied Ronon as he knelt beside his friend.

"You okay?" asked Ronon, nodding at the blood running down Sheppard's arm.

"Yeah, nothing that Carson can't fix," replied Sheppard. "We need to get moving. Elizabeth?"

"I need to finish this first," replied Elizabeth gently lifting his bleeding arm. She reached across, quickly locating one of the bandages she knew they all carried in their tac vests and started wrapping it around the worst of the cuts.

"How about you Elizabeth, are you okay?" asked Sheppard trying to assess her injuries as she tended his.

"I'm fine," she replied keeping her eyes on what she was doing as she wrapped his arm from elbow to wrist.

Sheppard wasn't sure he believed her. She seemed subdued. It worried him. He wanted to press her further but now wasn't the time. They needed to get out of here first. There would be time later on to deal with what had happened.

"There. Done. That should hold for now." Elizabeth offered him a hand and helped pull him to his feet.

"Thanks. Let's move before anyone spots us."

Sheppard wanted to protest the need for her continued support but his first step towards the doorway told him he was anything but steady on his feet. He must have hit his head on the wall when the Ree-Tan had tried to shove his body through the stonework. Now wasn't the time for his body to give out on him. He still had a task to complete and he was damned if he wasn't going to finish it. But if he was honest with himself he felt like crap. Probably looked like it too, if the expression on Ronon's face was anything to go by and he wasn't about to jeopardize the mission by letting his pride get in the way. "Ronon. You have point."

Ronon nodded his acceptance before turning back to the door and checking outside. "Clear."

He felt Elizabeth's hold on him tighten as they moved to follow. He wasn't sure if it was from fear of the danger they were still in or from worry that he was about to collapse. He gave her a reassuring squeeze of his own hoping she understood his meaning. He didn't plan on collapsing just yet.

ooOoo

Horan shrank back deeper into his hiding spot as a large figure emerged from the shadows. He wasn't dressed like the Ree-Tan, neither did he wear the clothing of the few Lanteans he'd seen. He watched as the strange man approached the building where the Lantean woman was being held. His movements told him this man was no friend of the Ree-Tan. He moved with stealth. Like a warrior would and he was built like one too. His presence could make the task more difficult but not impossible.

The man was standing beside the door glancing around looking for trouble. He appeared unaware that he was being watched but Horan knew that could be a ruse. He would need to be careful but it was possible that this man was here to rescue the Lantean. If he was he would let this man do his job for him before springing his own surprise. But first he needed to confirm his suspicions.

He waited until the man disappeared inside the building before making his move. He quickly and quietly slipped into the same spot the large man had been stood in moments before. He heard an unfamiliar sound but the following sound of a body hitting floor told him the sound had been of a weapon discharging. It had to be the large man's. No Ree-Tan had a weapon capable of making a sound like that. Not as far as he knew anyway.

He turned his attention to the conversation inside. He could hear two males and a female. It was obvious that they knew each other and it seemed that one of them might be injured. Three to one were not good odds for success but he had managed with worse. He would do so again.

He had heard what he needed to. It was time to move. It was a gamble as to which direction the Lanteans would take but he could adjust. If one of their number was injured then they would move more slowly than he could. He would be able to get ahead of them and carry out his plan. Either way he would have the Lantean woman in his possession soon.

He ducked around the nearest corner and waited. He doubted it would be long. The Lanteans would want to move quickly before their escape was discovered. He steadied his breathing and willed his prey to come in his direction.

It didn't take long to get his wish as heard steps approaching. He could only hear two sets, no doubt the woman and the injured man. He wasn't surprised that he didn't hear the large man's steps but he knew the man was still with them. He would be in the forward position, looking for danger and protecting the others. He would pause at the corner and check it was clear before he would proceed. If they retreated along the path the large man had arrived by then they would turn down the lane he was hiding in.

He moved away from the corner looking for somewhere better to hide. His eyes fell on the chimney near the end of the building. It had been built so that the back of the chimney protruded from the building. It wasn't much but it would be sufficient for his needs. He reached its safety just as the large man peered around the corner. Hopefully his luck would continue to hold and the Lanteans would indeed turn down the lane and head his way again. It did. He braced himself for the attack. He would only get one chance at this. The large man outweighed him considerably. If he didn't down the man quickly he could well lose the Lantean woman.

He waited until the large man stepped passed his hiding spot before swinging his weapon as hard as he could at the man's skull. He felt the contact vibrate up his arms at the same time that he heard the resounding crack. He'd done it. He didn't wait to see the man crumple to the ground, as he surely would after that blow, before swinging his weapon round to face the remaining Lanteans. "Drop your weapon."

The woman stared at him for a moment before she turned her attention to the man she was supporting. "Do as he says, John." She didn't wait for the man to comply before she turned her attention back on him. "You're Dalerian aren't you? Brille wants us back."

Horan kept his eyes on the man as he finally dropped the weapon. "He does indeed but he only needs you Doctor Weir. What happens to your companion is up to you. Fail to co-operate and I'll be forced to terminate him."

"Guess we go with you," replied Sheppard. "For now."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Yikes that's not good. Things really don't go according to plan in the Pegasus galaxy when the boys are involved do they? Can Sheppard escape from Horan on his own or will he need his own rescue? If you want to find out you'll have to stayed tuned for the next episode. Oh and a bribe in the form of a review wouldn't go astray – it keeps the plot bunnies happy if not well fed.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 30**

His head ached abominably. He must have drunk a skin full of ale the night before. Pity he couldn't remember it. At least then he'd be able to judge whether the pain was worth it. It wasn't like him to forget a drinking session. And it wasn't like him to sleep it off on such an uncomfortable surface either.

He rolled over onto his back, groaning at the effort required and the effect it had on his head. Movement was obviously to be avoided. Maybe he should just lay here until the worst effects of his hangover cleared. Maybe Sheppard would be glad to miss their regular morning run. The man did claim to be lazy after all. Yeah, he'd rest for a little longer.

He tried to ignore the incessant throb of pain as he lay there but something niggled at the back of his mind. Something demanding urgent attention. Something he should be doing but what he didn't know. With a sigh he decided he wasn't going to get any peace staying where he was. He brushed a hand across his face feeling the sticky liquid on the side of his head. Puzzled, his hand followed its path into his hair quickly finding its source. He groaned again as his fingers brushed against the large painful bump just above his ear. Maybe he hadn't been drinking after all. But if he hadn't been drinking what had he been doing.

He forced his eyes open and did his best to ignore the rising nausea as he pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. His vision blurred but even that wasn't enough to stop him realising that he was on his own and he wasn't on Atlantis. He scrubbed a hand across his face trying to clear his vision as his memory of finding Sheppard and Weir returned along with the memory of something hitting the back of his head. But who had attacked him? Was it the Ree-Tan? No it couldn't have been. They would've dragged his unconscious body into the same cell as Sheppard and Weir. That only left the Dalerians. It had to be them. How long had he been out? He looked up at the stars and nearly collapsed again as everything seemed to tilt oddly. He collapsed to his knees as his vision greyed. He closed his eyes and tried to regain control. He wouldn't fail his friends. Not now.

A few deep breathes later and he felt more in control. He opened his eyes, spotting footprints in the dirt in the faint light of the stars. He easily recognised Sheppard's combat boots and a lighter print that had to be Weir's. Whoever had them had taken them this way. He would follow and he would find a way to take them back.

He pushed himself carefully back to his feet before remembering his radio. He tapped it and reported what had happened to Teyla.

"They're going south towards the wall. I'm going after them."

"No, Ronon. We'll get them back."

"I'm going after them," repeated Ronon before turning his radio off. He knew what her answer would be, he didn't need to hear it and he had no intention of following her orders. He turned his attention back to the footprints in the dirt and started to follow them.

ooOoo

"Ronon!"

Teyla bit back her frustration knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him from going after Sheppard. Ronon had made up his mind and that was that. She understood his loyalty to the Colonel, she felt it as well and she realised that she would do no different in his place. Still Ronon's tendency to ignore orders when he chose grated on her but now was not the time to deal with it.

She glanced back at the Dalerian historians as they huddled together in the darkness. If it were not for them she could help Ronon. She debated whether they were close enough to the edge of the settlement for them to find their own way to safety. After all Ronon was right. If it were not for the Dalerians there would be no need to be here looking for Elizabeth. She released a sigh as she realised that she could not leave the historians. John had given his word and she was obliged to honour it. She would have to help Ronon another way.

A quick scan of the area showed that it was still free of Ree-Tan. She tapped her radio and spoke quietly. "Rodney?"

"Here," replied the scientist. "I'm checking for life signs now."

She smiled. Of course he would have heard her conversation with Ronon over the radio. It was good to know that some things never changed. Rodney had the heart of a warrior even if he did not have the body of one and his loyalty to his friends was undeniable. He had proven that many times already and would no doubt do so again.

"There are six small groups in that area and one larger group near the edge of the settlement. Any one of them could be Sheppard and Elizabeth. There is no way to tell short of flying the jumper over them and getting a visual and the odds of doing that are not good. We'd have more luck waiting until they are outside the settlement."

He was right of course. Once the Colonel was outside the settlement it would be easy to spot the three life signs. Even if Ronon did not catch them before then it would be easy to fly a jumper to their location and stop the Dalerian before he reached the wall. Her best choice of action was to get the historians to safety as quickly as she could and to meet up with the jumper.

"I agree. Is Sergeant Harvey with you?"

"Not yet. He's not far away though. Want me to stay on the ground and wait for you after I pick them up?"

She considered how long it would take to get her larger group to their rendezvous point and realised it would be too long. She could not risk Rodney with only one soldier to protect him should the Ree-Tan discover their presence. "No. I will call you when I reach the edge of the settlement."

"I'll keep an eye on the LSD. We'll find them, Teyla."

She smiled again. Obviously she had done a poor job at hiding her concerns from him. She pushed them from her mind and replied, "Yes we will, Rodney." She returned her focus to the historians, rechecking that her path was clear before leading them across the open area and back into the shelter of the buildings on the other side of the junction.

ooOoo

Preparing dinner for their prisoners wasn't what he'd been thinking of when he'd volunteered to help Jaymar in his quest to win their rightful home back from the invading Dalerians. In his mind's eye he'd seen himself as a conquering hero and winning the heart of Sonora. Chopping root vegetables wasn't likely to improve the way she viewed him. Still at least it allowed him to see the off-worlders and the Dalerian prisoners. That was more than many of their people had seen. Maybe he could ask to join the warrior ranks again tomorrow.

Vekon finished preparing the meagre rations and loaded them into a basket. He grabbed the pail of water and made his way to the front room where the guard, Tey, waited impatiently. No doubt he'd rather be at the ale house with his brethren than overseeing the feeding of the prisoners.

They didn't have to go far, just round the corner and two doors down. Tey reached the corner first and turned. Vekon nearly ran into the back of him when the guard unexpectedly froze. He saw immediately what had caught the guard's attention. It was hard to miss the wide open cell door in the starlight. "How-"

Tey spun round, raising a finger to his lips before indicating that Vekon should remain where he stood. He nodded his acceptance even though he'd rather be the one investigating the cell. Still maybe he'd be allowed to help in the search for the escapees. He lowered the food and water to the ground, ready to help the guard if needed.

Tey quickly reached the cell block and disappeared inside, moments later he came back out and bending to study the ground before looking towards the river. Vekon continued to watch him as he took the vorus horn from his belt and raised it to his lips. The sound it made was high and mournful like a mother wailing for her dead child. It would stretch across the settlement and rouse Jaymar's men. Now was his chance. Jaymar was unlikely to notice one extra man answering the call of the horn. Maybe now he could impress Sonora.

ooOoo

Ronon stopped in his tracks at the sound that reached his ears. He'd never heard anything like it but he was sure that it wasn't good. His suspicions were confirmed as doors sprung open all around him. He moved deeper into the shadows. Obviously someone had noticed their prisoners were missing. It would make things more difficult but he could still slip out of the village unnoticed. Following Weir and Sheppard would be more difficult though. There was a risk that the extra people moving around would destroy their trail. He needed to continue and find them before that happened. He could hear voices as several men ran passed him heading in the other direction. He watched them disappear from sight before he returned to study the distinctive footprints left by his CO and Doctor Weir. The prints of their captor trailed not far behind and disappeared around the corner. Ronon straightened and followed them moving quicker than he had before aware that the Dalerian would have heard the alarm as well.

ooOoo

Sheppard felt the weapon press into his back urging him into the small gap between the buildings as a high pitched sound echoed around them. He was in no position to argue with his captor since he was just as reluctant to be discovered by the Ree-Tan now that the jig was up. At least with a single Dalerian there was some hope that he and Elizabeth could escape. There would be less chance of getting away from a mob of angry Ree-Tan hell-bent on revenge, especially since his people were probably included on the most wanted list alongside the Dalerians thanks to him. If the Ree-Tan hadn't discovered their leader's body yet they soon would and it would be pretty obvious that the man wasn't killed with a Dalerian weapon. Sheppard was reasonably sure the Ree-Tan wouldn't worry about forming a jury to decide his fate should they find him before his own people did. Elizabeth might live a little longer as the Ree-Tan still believed they needed her skills reading the Ancient text. No, right now their best chance of survival was to co-operate with the Dalerian no matter how much he disliked the idea.

He gave Elizabeth's hand a reassuring squeeze as he guided her towards the narrow space. She was still kept his arm draped across her shoulders and her arm tucked around his waist. It felt nice despite the circumstances but he wasn't sure any more which one of them was holding the other up. He was tired so she had to be doubly so. He felt her arm tighten round him in response and smiled. He had always been drawn to strong women and Elizabeth was no exception. She'd held out against the Ree-Tan without his help, he doubted she would fall apart now knowing that their people would be searching for them.

Several men ran passed heading deeper into the settlement. Memories of Ronon collapsing in a heap swept over him. He could only hope his Satedan friend hadn't been seriously hurt and had managed to avoid detection. Either way there wasn't anything he could do about it for the moment. He had enough of his own problems. It wouldn't be long before the Ree-Tan started searching for them and he had no intentions of being found. Not by them anyway.

A second group of Ree-Tan raced by before the Dalerian signalled for them to move out. He nodded his acknowledgement only stepping out from their hiding place once he'd checked for himself that their way was clear. He knew the Dalerian needed Elizabeth alive but ceding full control for their safety was not something he was comfortable with. No doubt Elizabeth would remind him that giving up any control was something he wasn't comfortable with.

ooOoo

Teyla's head shot up as she heard the high pitched wail coming from somewhere within the settlement. It was hard to tell from where it came as the sound bounced off the structures around her. She could only hope that it didn't signal that Ronon or the others had been captured. She pushed the thoughts aside knowing she couldn't help them and instead focused her thoughts on her own task. She looked back at the historians seeing their startled and fearful expressions, their eyes darting about looking for the danger. The siren would bring more Ree-Tan out from their homes. It would be harder to get the Dalerians to safety now. None of them were young men and they were weakened from their incarceration. They had already taken longer than she liked getting them this far. They needed a diversion. She moved to tap her radio, her hand freezing in place as she heard someone approaching. If she spoke now they would surely hear. She dare not even move the historians for fear of discovery. She glanced over the men she was charged with keeping safe and confirmed that they were hidden as well as they could be before returning her attention to the approaching voices. She counted only two of them but there could be others who chose to remain silent. Two she could handle. Anymore would require her P-90 and announcing her position. Maybe they would turn onto another path before they reached her.

ooOoo

Rodney quickly lowered the jumper. His landing wasn't as smooth as Sheppard's. It didn't really matter under the circumstances except to his ego and god knows he had a big ego. He knew it and so did anyone else who had worked with him. He hit the release for the rear hatch and trotted into the back section to give the Sergeant a hand with the injured man. He swallowed heavily at his first sight of the Major. Lorne was barely recognisable underneath all the blood and bruising that covered his face and torso.

"My God!"

"Not...quite," replied Lorne.

McKay tried to shake off his revulsion and nausea by concentrating on grabbing the First Aid kit. He should be used to the sight of so much blood by now after becoming friends with one spiky-haired trouble magnet since arriving on Atlantis. He handed the kit to Harvey once the Sergeant had Lorne stretched out along the bench seat in the back of the jumper. Hopefully the Sergeant had paid more attention to Beckett's field medicine courses than he had and knew how to administer some morphine. Lorne sure as hell looked like he could use some right about now. Hell he could use some if it would stop him from imagining Elizabeth with similar injuries. He scrubbed a hand over his face and turned back towards the controls as the silence was broken by a horrible wail that reminded him of something dying. He didn't have to be a military genius to work out what it meant.

He dashed to the controls and quickly brought the HUD back up switching to the life signs mode. "Oh crap why can't anything ever be simple?"

"What's…happening McKay?" asked Lorne brushing away the Sergeant's hands and trying to stand.

Harvey pushed down on the Major's shoulder and easily held him in place. "McKay can handle it, sir. You need to let me treat your injuries."

"McKay?" repeated Lorne.

"Yes, yes I can handle it. No problems," replied McKay trying to hide his fear behind words. Maybe if he repeated them often enough they'd come true.

"What did I tell you sir? McKay has everything under control. I'm sure he'll have Peters and Franklin lighting up the munitions store any moment like it's the fourth of July."

McKay heard the Sergeant's words and grabbed onto them like they were a life preserver. Why hadn't he thought of that? He raised the other jumpers and gave them their instructions before diverting his attention back to the HUD. Maybe now he'd be able to work out which of the life signs belonged to Elizabeth and Sheppard.

ooOoo

Silus paced back and forth as he waited. Patience had never been his virtue. He wanted nothing more than to enter the settlement and do his part in removing the filthy Ree-Tan from his world. Only then would he believe that his wife and daughter would be safe. He'd heard rumours about what the Ree-Tan did with any Dalerians that they captured and he didn't want that to happen to his family. Maybe tonight would be the night that the threat would be forever removed. He could only hope so.

He stopped mid-stride as a mournful sound broke the silence of the night. It sounded like no animal he knew and it came from the settlement. It had to be the Ree-Tan. Had Horan been discovered? All their plans to use the Ancient weapon could fail if he had. He looked over his men. They would be grossly outnumbered if he took them in but it might be the only chance Horan had in completing his mission. He had no choice. If he wanted to protect his family and every other Dalerian he had to make sure Horan made it out alive and with the Lantean woman. His decision made he raised his hand and signalled for his men to move forward.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh, oh! That doesn't bode well. Who will find Sheppard and Weir first? Will Ronon be able to find them following their tracks now that both the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians are running around looking for them? And what about Teyla? Will she get the historians to safety? Who knows? Maybe the plot bunnies do but they're not talking. Guess you'll have to wait for the next instalment.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven. For those patiently waiting for this next instalment, I thank you for your patience. Life has not been kind to me these last few months and writing fell to the bottom of my priorities. Things have now improved and it's hopefully full steam ahead.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 31**

Peters hoped they were targeting the right building. It was only a guess on their part that the structure separated from the others held the weapons and explosives that they knew the Ree-Tan possessed. Sheppard had decided it was too risky to send someone to check it out when it wasn't really necessary. This was supposed to be a stealth mission and if anything went wrong, as it obviously had, then it wouldn't really matter which building they targeted. Any hit was likely to distract the Ree-Tan. Still Peters knew that targeting their weapons store would be the best distraction of all and would likely reduce the Ree-Tan's ability to attack. Or so he hoped.

He swung his jumper round in a tight circle bringing his target into view. The HUD changed overlaying the image of the settlement with the life sign markers. It never ceased to amaze him how the jumper read his thoughts and translated them into action. He saw that there were no life signs near his target and released his breath. It wouldn't have changed his actions but at least now he knew that none of his team mates were in the line of fire. At least not in his line of fire.

Feeling relieved that his shot would only destroy a building and its contents and nothing more he released the drone and took the jumper up out of the possible blast zone. Moments later the drone reached its target and their theories were confirmed as the building erupted into a giant ball of flame expanding rapidly, sending stonework and shrapnel hundreds of feet in all directions. If that didn't get the Ree-Tan's attention then nothing would.

ooOoo

Brille looked over at the man that so reminded him of himself when he was a young man. Garius was keen to prove to himself and to his peers that he hadn't won his rank through family connections rather than hard work and determination. Brille remembered that feeling. It had driven him to be twice as determined and ruthless as his colleagues and it had seen him rise through the ranks.

The young man had wanted to go with Horan and his men. Another sign of his hunger to see action and prove himself worthy; an admiral quality in any soldier but one best tempered with patience and better judgement. He could understand the young man's desire to join Horan's team. Their exploits against Ree-Tan infiltrators were well known. His team had been together for many years and worked well together. Adding an unknown quantity to the team for such a crucial mission would not have been a smart move. No it was better this way. He needed someone to help him with the beasts and Garius was one of their best beast masters. He had seen the look of disappointment cross the young man's face before he'd managed to hide it. Yes, Garius could well learn some patience.

Brille swept his eyes over the remainder of the team that would accompany him to the rendezvous point and smiled as he approached the beast that awaited him. They were already mounted and eager to be on their way. _So am I. I'm eager to finally see the end of the Ree-Tan. _He settled himself on the beast's back and gave the signal to move out. It would not take them long to cover the open ground to where Horan would soon arrive with the Lantean in tow.

ooOoo

The explosion when it came should've been the perfect diversion. Sheppard had bided his time just waiting for an opportunity to strike out at their captor. When his chance came he didn't waste any time. He spun on the Dalerian, swinging his leg out, intent on bringing the Dalerian down before the surrounding buildings finished shaking. He didn't see Elizabeth stumble. Neither did he see her grab blindly for his support. His foot connected with the man and pulled him off balance just as a bolt of pain shot up his arm and he felt his own balance deserting him. He crashed to the ground with a grunt taking Elizabeth with him.

"John?"

"Don't move. Either of you," stated Horan as he pointed his weapon at Sheppard's head.

Sheppard sighed. So much for his own skills at the moment, he doubted he'd get another chance.

Horan pushed himself to his feet, keeping his distance from the Lantean. "I should kill you for that but I suspect keeping you alive will be most useful in convincing the woman to do as she is told. But do not think I will not change my mind. Get up."

"I'm sorry, John," whispered Elizabeth.

"It's not your fault," replied Sheppard. He gave her hand a hopefully comforting squeeze as he helped Elizabeth to her feet at the same time as he did his best to ignore the painful throbbing that continued up his arm. He couldn't blame her. He could barely make out her features in the dark but he didn't need to see her to know she was exhausted and hurting. He'd seen the bruises on her face and after seeing Lorne's injuries he could only hope that was all the Ree-Tan had done. He felt his temper flare again and knew he needed to keep it under control if he was going to get them out this.

ooOoo

The ride had been easy and they had made good time arriving at the rendezvous with time to spare. Now all they had to do was wait. Wait and hope that Horan had been able to complete his task. Being this close to the Ree-Tan settlement was risky but it was a risk they had to take. If all had gone well then Horan should be on his way to meet them. Brille nearly laughed at that thought, with Horan there seldom was an 'if' to worry about. The man had a singular focus and the talent to see it through.

A beast moved beside him and he looked across at the men he'd brought with him. Garius quietly murmured to the extra beasts keeping them under tight control as he'd known he would. The others weren't as skilled with the animals. Tanon's beast shifted bumping against its neighbour causing more unrest among the beasts. Using the animals was a risk. One loud noise in the silence of the night would be enough to rouse the suspicions of the Ree-Tan but he needed their speed to get his prize back to the Ancient device quickly. It wouldn't pay to remain for long in the Ree-Tan territories whilst his men were likely outnumbered by the heathens.

Brille turned his attention back towards the settlement, straining to see any movement in the dark, anxious to move his plans forward to the next phase. Even his patience was being tested now that his goal was almost within reach.

He was still staring into the dark when the explosion came momentarily blinding him as flames erupted into the sky, silhouetting the settlement. He took advantage of the additional light the flames provided and scanned the horizon, looking for his man but there was still no sign of him. Nor was there any sign of his team. He knew that the Ree-Tan would not have blown up what was obviously their own munitions cache so he could only assume that Horan's men were responsible.

"Horan must have the Lantean. Tanon, Loran go. Horan may need your help. Make sure he is not followed when he leaves the settlement."

Brille watched as his men and their beasts melted into the shadows. They would do what they needed to.

"What about me, Sire?" asked Garius.

Brille turned to the younger man and recognised the look of anticipation on his face. "I need you here, Garius." He watched as the young man's face fell and decided it was time to give the lad a bone. "Horan will be here shortly and he will need someone to guard the Lantean."

"Yes, Sire," replied Garius.

ooOoo

Pain shot up his arm as a heavy hand shoved him and Elizabeth deeper into the shadows. His instinct was to return the favour to the Dalerian but Elizabeth held on tight to his hand, stopping him. He soon saw why as two men appeared ahead of them. They were dressed in the same dark clothing that their captor wore and they carried the same weapons. Their odds of escaping without help had just lengthened. He felt Elizabeth's hand tremble in his as she came to the same conclusion and did his best to comfort her, running his thumb gently across the back of her hand.

Horan stepped out of the shadow and signalled the two men to join him. Both men approached cautiously and quietly despite their size and were soon hidden again in the shadows alongside their captor. Sheppard found himself comparing the two newcomers to his Satedan friend. These two were both a good four inches taller and built like heavy-weight wrestlers. He doubted he could overpower one of them let alone two.

Sheppard watched the men as they spoke quietly amongst themselves. He couldn't catch their words even though they were only a few feet away. All three behaved as well-trained soldiers in enemy territory. They remained still yet their eyes constantly kept watch of their surroundings. Elizabeth shifted slightly by his side and all three pairs of eyes swivelled in their direction. Seeing no threat or danger they reverted to their constant sweep of the area confirming Sheppard's view of their chances of escape unaided.

Sheppard was still watching the men when something seemed to catch their attention. All three men were focused on something behind him. He turned his head and searched for what it was that they had seen but couldn't make anything out in the darkness. Not anywhere near them anyway. The village battle was ongoing but it was too far away to be of immediate concern to the Dalerians. Maybe there was nothing there and the men were just edgy, or maybe not. The realisation gave him hope that help might be closer than he thought.

With that comforting thought he turned his attention back on the Dalerians to find a weapon pointed directly at him. They'd obviously come to the same conclusion. He watched with disappointment as the two giants peeled away into the darkness as the third man signalled with his weapon for him to continue towards the border. Under the circumstances he had no choice but to follow and hope that Ronon could handle what was headed his way.

ooOoo

Ronon crouched and studied the boot prints again. He could tell Dr Weir was tired by her shambling prints. Sheppard was obviously helping support her given the proximity of his prints to hers. Together they would be travelling slower than he was. How much slower he couldn't tell. Nor could he tell how far ahead they were. He needed to catch up to them before they reached the edge of the settlement as it would give him best chance at a surprise attack. Once out of the settlement there would be little cover for him to use. He needed to move more quickly. It was riskier but he had no choice.

He carefully checked for movement and seeing none he darted across the open space to the safety of the next building. He paused for a moment but there was no reaction from the Ree-Tan or the Dalerians so he continued on his way keeping the boot prints in sight. He hadn't seen or heard a Ree-Tan for several minutes making him think that they had all been drawn to the fighting at the other end of the village. He hoped his theory was correct as he passed the buildings quickly only sparing them a cursory glance. Despite his need for speed he couldn't afford to be wrong.

He soon arrived at the next open space. A single structure stood on the other side bordered on the far side by another pathway that separated it from its neighbours, a string of attached buildings. The single structure had a deep verandah just like the one he was sheltering under now. He couldn't see far into its depths. He could however see the prints he followed lead into its protection and across the open ground beyond. He paused for a moment, again watching for any movement. Not seeing any he pushed off across the gap quickly reaching the safety of the verandah. He paused again but so no sign that he'd been detected.

He moved towards the open space when he felt a sharp jab in his back. He threw his weight backwards against his assailant hoping to throw them off balance. He spun rapidly bringing his weapon up, ready to fire but never got the chance as a kick connected with his gun arm. His hand went numb from the heavy blow and he lost his grip on his weapon. He didn't waste time trying to regain it, instead choosing to reach for a hidden knife with his other hand as he swung his own leg out knocking his assailant off-balance. The man went down hard and Ronon barely had time to register the clothing as Dalerian before he saw the small triumphant smirk on the man's face as he gasped for air. Ronon whirled quickly with his knife hand outstretched and lodged his knife deep within the second man's chest. He heard the breath gurgle in the man's chest and knew that it was a killing blow.

He pushed the dying man away, maintaining his grip on his knife as he felt the air movement behind him. Ronon spun round and flung his knife towards the first man as his brain registered the fact that his own weapon was pointed at his chest in the unsteady hands of his target. The knife struck the man in the junction between his neck and shoulder. His knees buckled as his arm jerked upwards and his finger closed on the weapon's trigger. Ronon dove to his right but the weapon's blast still caught him across the chest and he sank into darkness before his body hit the ground.

**A/N:** Oh, oh that's not good. Really not good. Is Ronon alive? Will Sheppard and Elizabeth ever get out of the clutches of the bad guys? Will Teyla and the historians make it safely to the puddlejumper with the Dalerian historians?...You think I know the answers? Heck no, the plot bunnies are in control. I only write what they tell me to. Stay tuned for the next instalment.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 32**

Exhaustion pulled at Elizabeth. It felt like a weight on her shoulders, dragging her down. She couldn't remember ever feeling so tired. All she wanted was to sink into her soft bed back on Atlantis and sleep for a week but she wasn't on Atlantis. She might not ever see it again and thanks to her John might not either.

A warm hand slid into hers, his shoulder brushing against hers as his quiet words reached her ears. "We'll get out of this." He sounded so confident, she wished she could be. His hand squeezed hers again more tightly this time. She lifted her eyes and found him watching her, his eyes reflecting his concern for her. She took a deep breath, straightened her back and returned the pressure on his hand before whispering back, "I know we will." She surprised herself with how confident her voice sounded despite her fears.

ooOoo

Teyla guarded their rear as she followed the historians across the open ground. She had instructed them to move to the cover of the bushes quickly. She knew that they could be easily seen by anyone choosing to look by moving in such a large group. It was a risk but one she felt safe in taking. The jumper waited not far away. If she kept their pace quick then they should reach its safety long before any Ree-Tan were close enough to pose a real threat.

She checked over her shoulder again as she neared the bushes. Good. No-one was visible behind her. She sank to the ground beside the Dalerians and tapped on her radio. A voice burst out before she had a chance to say a word.

"Teyla? Please tell me that group of dots nearly on top of us is you and not a Ree-Tan attack force."

Teyla smiled as she replied, "You are safe, Rodney."

"Thank God for that. The hatch is open."

"We will be there shortly," Teyla stood and turned to the others. "My friend waits for us with a vessel that will take you away from here. You will be safe." She saw the look of cautious hope in their faces despite their weariness. She should be angry with these people for what was happening to her friends but she could not. The men before her looked old and worn down. A desperate people drawn to desperate means. Her anger, she knew, was best directed towards the people responsible. The leaders of the Dalerians that had chosen this path for their people.

She took a breath and refocused her thoughts. Now was not the time to consider her feelings toward the Dalerian leaders. "Our vessel is nearby, hidden from view. I will lead the way. Stay close to me and you will be safe."

She scanned their surroundings, confirming that they were still alone before heading towards the jumper. She trusted her sense of direction to lead her back to where the cloaked vessel was parked. In moments she would be free of her charges and she would be able to return and assist Ronon.

ooOoo

Sheppard continued to watch the horizon as they moved further away from the settlement and the sounds of battle. His instincts were telling him someone was out there. Waiting for them. And his experience was telling him that whomever it was it wouldn't be a friend. He slowed his pace slightly. Their time may be running out but he didn't need to help it.

"Keep moving," warned Horan.

"Okay, okay but when the lady collapses from exhaustion and can't do what your boss wants then it will be your fault," replied Sheppard. He could feel Elizabeth's eyes on him. He wanted to turn and kiss her when he felt her stumble. Instead he pulled her close to his side, slipped his hand from hers and wrapped it around her waist to steady her. Hopefully it would convince their captor that they needed to slow down. And just maybe it would be enough to give his team the time they needed to find him.

"I will have no need to keep you alive Lantean if that happens. Keep her moving."

Sheppard sighed and started walking again more slowly this time. He had won them some time but he doubted that it would be enough to make a difference. He felt Elizabeth's arm wrap itself around his waist. He turned to see her watching him. He felt her hand briefly squeeze his side before she turned away to watch the darkness. He turned his attention forward, his eyes scanned the darkness whilst his mind processed the reminder of the trust that Elizabeth placed in him to keep her safe. If only he could.

ooOoo

Rodney watched the HUD as a group of dots began moving towards them. His first thought had been that the Ree-Tan had finally discovered them but then Teyla's voice had come over the radio and he had started breathing again. He triggered the hatch release and turned to find the Sergeant already moving, his P-90 up, ready to provide covering fire. His own hand dropped to the firearm strapped to his side, confirming that it was still there before he returned his attention to the HUD and the group of dots he'd been monitoring.

The group of three just had to be Sheppard and Elizabeth. They were the only group still tracking south near the edge of the settlement. And if that wasn't enough to convince him then the single life sign trailing them was.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of feet hitting the ramp and he turned in time to see the first of the ragged looking Dalerians staring back at him in fear and surprise. He wondered if he should say something but Teyla beat him to it as she appeared at the historian's side and guided him to the bench seat. He caught her frown of concern as she glanced over Major Lorne's unconscious form before turning her attention back to the shabby man by her side.

"It is safe in here. A shield hides this vessel from sight."

As he watched several more men, just as shabby and tired looking as the first, entered the jumper and were guided to seats. Teyla spoke with each of them briefly before she handed their care over to the Sergeant and moved forward to join Rodney in the forward section.

"That is all of them."

Rodney nodded at her words and triggered the hatch mechanism to close. Now that she was onboard he just wanted to leave the historians here. After all they had created this whole mess. They could find their own way out of it. He didn't see why he had to provide them with a taxi service. Not while his friends were still in danger.

He turned towards Teyla, set on telling her just that when his eye caught the HUD and he froze. "Great, just great."

Teyla glanced at the HUD before swinging back to focus on Rodney. "What is wrong?"

"There are two more of them." He saw her look of confusion and explained. "Dots. Two more dots. Life signs." She still looked confused as she turned to look at the HUD again.

"I do not see two dots."

"Of course not," replied Rodney trying not to lose his patience as he pointed to the southern-most group of five dots, now stationery. "They've joined this group of three."

"Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir?" she queried.

Rodney nodded, "I think so. They've been moving consistently southwards and this single dot has been following."

"Ronon."

"We have to help them," stated Rodney as he sat himself at the controls and prepared for take-off.

"And we will but _you_ need to get Major Lorne to Carson first."

Rodney looked to where the Major lay sprawled on the bench in the rear section. Sergeant Harvey had done what he could but it wasn't enough. Rodney sighed. She was right. They needed to get Lorne back to Atlantis then it hit him what she had said. She hadn't said _we_. "_You_? What will _you_ be doing?"

He looked across at Teyla and saw her frown as she continued to study the HUD. "What is it?" He turned his attention to the HUD and groaned. The group of five was back to a group of three and the other two had separated and were closing in on the single dot from opposite sides.

"Helping Ronon," replied Teyla as she moved towards the rear section.

He hit the control to release the hatch and turned towards her as a sudden thought struck him. The last time he'd tried sneaking past the Dalerians guarding the gate it hadn't ended well. He didn't see this ending any differently with him at the controls. In a panic he asked, "What about the guards at the gate?"

Teyla looked at him for a moment then tapped her radio, "Sergeant Franklin, I need you to distract the gate guards so Doctor McKay may return to Atlantis with Major Lorne." She waited for the Sergeant's response before she spoke again. "We will get them back, Rodney."

He nodded at her words, hoping she was right. He waited till she had disappeared back into the night before closing the hatch again. He spared a quick glance at the three dots on the HUD still trekking south before returning his attention to getting the jumper into the air. He had a job to do and the sooner he got it done the sooner he could return.

ooOoo

Sheppard tightened his hold on Elizabeth's waist as she stumbled for the second time in as many minutes. He felt her hand tighten on his waist. They had both stumbled several times as they struggled to make out the terrain in the darkness. The further they had moved away from the settlement the darker the night seemed and the rougher the terrain had become. He really could've done with the light on his P-90 right now to see what lay ahead. But then if he still had his P-90 he wouldn't be in this mess.

Elizabeth must have sensed his thoughts. He'd never been really good at hiding his doubts from her but he'd thought the darkness might've helped. Obviously not. Not that he was really about to complain about her resting her once free hand on his stomach. He ignored the painful throb from his injured right arm as he covered her hand with his and rubbed his thumb against her cool skin. He felt her lift her hand and capture his thumb, giving it a gentle squeeze before she withdrew her hand. He wanted to reach across and grab her hand back. Hell he wanted to kiss her. He had for some time if he was honest with himself. But he needed to concentrate on their surroundings, on watching for a chance to escape, not on how her skin had felt against his.

The soft sound of movement ahead caught his attention. He peered into the darkness trying to make out the shapes he knew were there. Their captor marched them forward, never letting his guard down but clearly unsurprised at the dark shapes that were beginning to reveal themselves. Clearly these were his people. Sheppard felt Elizabeth stiffen by his side as the face of one of the men came into view. Obviously she recognised him. Sheppard felt his own muscles tighten as the man's eyes drifted over him and stopped on Elizabeth. The stranger clearly knew who she was and looked far to be pleased for Sheppard's liking. The man's words only confirmed his thoughts.

"We meet again Doctor Weir," stated Brille. "I see that the Ree-Tan have not treated you well. I only wish that we could have rescued you far sooner. I do hope that you will accept my apologies and..."

Sheppard dropped his hold on Elizabeth and took a step forward. A foot slammed hard into the back of his knee sending a wave of pain through his leg. His knee gave way and he dropped like a stone. His injured arm took the brunt of the impact and his vision greyed. He vaguely heard Elizabeth's terrified voice as he battled to stay conscious.

"No! Don't… him. Please! You need…"

TBC

**A/N:** Oh, Oh. That's not good. Will things ever start looking up in Pegasus for Sheppard and his team? Only time will tell.


	33. Chapter 33

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 33**

Rodney was glad he was the only one in the jumper cockpit. He didn't want company right now. Especially not from the Dalerian historians. If it wasn't for their stupid superiority and greed his best friend wouldn't be in the mess he was. He didn't feel any better about the Ree-Tan but at least he didn't have half a dozen of them sharing the jumper with him. Why they were even there was beyond him. They didn't deserve to be as far as he was concerned. But Teyla hadn't really given him a choice. At least she hadn't told him where he should drop off his unwanted passengers. No way was he taking them all the way back to the Dalerian settlement. Lorne needed Carson and soon. That meant taking the most direct route to the Stargate and if that meant leaving the historians with a long walk home then so be it. It was better than they deserved for what their people had done.

Rodney checked his position on the HUD. By his reckoning they shouldn't be far from the wall that separated the two races. He figured that once they crossed into Dalerian territory they would be far enough from the Ree-Tan settlement to drop off his unwanted passengers.

The wall was right where he expected it to be. He brought up the life sign readings and found the immediate area clear of anything bigger than a mountain lion. Any location free of people with weapons was good enough for him. All he needed now was a nice flat surface to land and he be rid of the Dalerians. A spot on the HUD glowed and then enlarged as another image showing the terrain appeared alongside it. _Perfect_. He adjusted his course slightly as he crossed over the wall and began his descent.

He kept his eyes on the HUD watching his course and altitude as he brought the jumper down as quickly as he dared. Landings were never his strong suit at the best of times. Trying the land in the dark was something he'd rather not be doing if he had a choice. Opening the rear hatch while in flight and tossing the Dalerians out the back was a much better one. And very tempting, if only for a moment.

The jumper touched the ground with a perceptible thud. Better than he'd hoped but worse than Sheppard would've liked. He pushed that thought from his mind as he hit the release for the hatch and headed into the rear section. He stopped at the top of the ramp and flapped his arms signalling for the historians to move but no-one did. "Everyone not from Atlantis, out. Shoo." He waited impatiently as several startled faces looked at him and then at the open hatch before they finally started to move.

They moved slowly looking every inch like the tired old men they were. The oldest paused before him and grasped his hand.

"Thank you for your kindness. I know my people do not deserve it for what we have done."

Rodney swallowed back the confusing mix of guilt and anger and pointed into the darkness. "Your village is that way."

The man nodded his acknowledgement and followed the others down the ramp. Rodney watched him disappear into the darkness before closing the hatch. He turned and caught Sergeant Harvey watching him. "What? They'll be fine."

ooOoo

Elizabeth felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of the man looking down on her from where he sat astride a strange creature. He no longer looked the part of the bureaucrat dressed as he was in the same style uniform as his Enforcers. If only she could've seen through his ruse, seen this man for what he truly was and avoided all of this. How many lives had been lost because this man had fooled her with his lies? How many more would?

She shook off her thoughts as Brille's eyes landed on her and he started to speak.

"We meet again Doctor Weir," stated Brille. "I see that the Ree-Tan have not treated you well. I only wish that we could have rescued you far sooner. I do hope that you will accept my apologies and..."

She felt John's arm slip from her waist as he took a step forward. She wanted to pull him back but she never got the chance as Horan slammed his foot into the back of John's knee, dropping him. She grabbed for Horan's arm as he raised his weapon. He pushed her away and continued with his task.

"No! Don't kill him. Please! You need him. He's the only one that can operate the Ancient weapon."

Elizabeth hoped her words were enough. Hoped they would realise that John was more valuable alive than dead. She held her breathe only relaxing when Horan lowered his weapon.

"You have just saved his life, Doctor," remarked Brille. "Garius, help Horan secure him to the mount then do the same with the Doctor."

ooOoo

Teyla moved quickly now that she travelled alone. Her mind focussed on her goal, her senses focussed on her surroundings, her movements just a whisper on the wind. It did not pay to sacrifice stealth. Not with the Ree-Tan moving into the same area. She would be no help to Ronon if she did not reach him. Her worry for her friend threatened to destroy her focus as she recalled the image of the two life-signs moving in on Ronon's position. They had been close to his position. Much closer than she was. She quickened her pace as much as she dared. She doubted it would be enough but she had to try.

The sound of a distant explosion drew her eyes northwards as she paused at a crossroads. So far she had seen no Ree-Tan but she knew they must be near. It was only a matter of time before she encountered them. She tightened her grip on her P-90 as she confirmed the area was clear before she dashed across the open space and slipped back into the shadows. This area was dark but not so the area beyond the next crossing. She would have to risk the light or choose another path to Ronon's position. But first she had to reach the crossing.

Her instincts had been honed over the years as she hunted to help provide food for her people and they had been further honed in battle against the Wraith. It was her instincts that told her someone was approaching long before she heard the first sounds of footfalls in the dirt and of subdued voices. She counted three separate voices. Too many to take on with just her knife and using her P-90 would only alert any others in the area to her position. No it was better to wait. Decision made she slipped into the deeper shadows of the nearest doorway and slowed her breathing. No-one would be able to see or hear her as long as she remained still and quiet. She knew that but it didn't stop her hearting from pounding as she waited for the men to pass.

She didn't have long to wait as three men stopped in the crossroads she had crossed only moments ago. Had they been watching for someone? Had they seen her? She studied them as they looked at their surroundings. She knew if they looked down they would find her footprints. Her very distinctive footprints. Footprints that she knew would lead them directly to where she was hiding. She held her breath as time seemed to slow.

For a moment she had thought she was safe. That they would just move on and she would be able to continue on her way but then one of them had looked down and she knew. Knew he had seen the print and recognised it for what it was before he'd drawn the attention of his companions. She had seconds before they followed her tracks and found her. Seconds to make sure that she was the one to survive the encounter. She made her choice and pulled the trigger as she swept the P-90 from left to right. She didn't wait for the echoes to die down before she was moving again. She reached the next crossroads barely pausing long enough to check to her left and right before choosing the path to her right. It would take her away from Ronon but right now she needed to put some distance between her and the dead Ree-Tan.

Three blocks and two more turns later she spotted a narrow walkway between two buildings and stepped into its shelter. She needed to get her bearings and she needed to think about her next move. She had narrowly missed two other groups of Ree-Tan no doubt drawn by the sounds of her gunfire. She knew on her own she was vulnerable. What she needed was someone able to tell her where the Ree-Tan were, help her navigate her way around them and to provide assistance when she could not. She smiled when she realised she had what she needed nearby.

She checked that no Ree-Tan were near her position as she tapped her radio and called the remaining puddlejumper. "Sergeant Peters I am in need of your assistance." She smiled as he replied in his usual laconic way reminding her of the Colonel.

"No worries ma'am. How can I help?" replied Peters.

She quickly relayed her plan hoping Peters would be able to isolate her single life sign amongst the many groups. She need not have worried as he suggested a simple solution once he basically knew which quadrant of the settlement to search.

"Ma'am, can you move twenty paces from your current position?"

She smiled. "Yes Sergeant. It is clear to the north of my position." She moved further away from the path following the narrow gap between the buildings. She paused when her foot brushed against something soft. She risked using the light on her P-90 to illuminate the area at her feet, trusting that she was well enough hidden by the buildings surrounding her. She didn't need to check for a pulse to know that the young girl was dead. The odd angle of her neck told Teyla that. She switched off her light and carefully stepped over the body. The senseless death angered her. All life was precious. Even the life of those who sought to hurt her friends. The life of children was even more so if they were to survive the Wraith but there was nothing she could do for this child.

She pushed the image from her mind as she counted out the last of her paces.

"I think I have you ma'am. Could you move back to your original position for confirmation?"

She acknowledged him and turned back. She counted her steps, slowing as she reached the body and stopping when she arrived back at her starting position.

"Okay, ma'am. Position confirmed. There are unfriendlies moving in the blocks south, north and east of your position. Go two blocks to your west and you should be able to start southwards. We'll be overhead in three minutes, after we've given the locals something to think about. Peters out."

Teyla peered out from where she was hidden. Her cautious nature not allowing her to rely solely on the technology that the Lanteans used. Finding the path clear she stepped from the shadows and turned west, trusting the Ancient technology just enough to pick up her pace.

ooOoo

Sheppard struggled back from the darkness as hands dragged him upright. His reaction was instinctive born from years of training and time spent in combat. He pulled away from the unknown hands as he tried to clear his thoughts. Tried to remember what had just happened. He felt the cold touch of metal against his neck and froze as his memory returned.

"Keep still, Lantean. The woman may have bargained for your life but I can still make you regret any attempt at escape."

What had she told them while he was out of it? His heart lurched as he thought the worst. Had she sacrificed her life for his? Surely they needed her alive. He desperately searched for any sign of Elizabeth as Horan unceremoniously shoved him towards one of the small triceratops-like creatures. Sheppard finally spotted Elizabeth a few feet away standing next to the man who had spoken to her earlier. He took in the tight grip on her arm and the weapon pointed at her side and felt his anger towards this man increase. The man he held responsible for everything Elizabeth and the others had suffered on this planet.

Sheppard looked up and saw Brille's arrogant smirk directed at him. He wanted nothing better than to wipe that look from the man's face but Elizabeth's worried expression stopped him and reminded him of Horan's words. He swallowed back his anger as his eyes met hers. Now wasn't the time to act. Not when it was Elizabeth that would pay the price. He held her gaze as rough hands grabbed his wrists and bound them tightly, wincing as the coarse rope bit into his already injured flesh. He would find out what she had said and then maybe he would understand why. Why they were now willing to kill her to control him.

ooOoo

Elizabeth could only watch as John followed Horan's instructions and pulled himself up into the saddle. She didn't regret the words she'd spoken. Didn't regret that she'd lessened the value of her own life in the eyes of the Dalerians. The alternative didn't bear thinking about.

They waited until John's hands were secured to the pommel on the saddle before they led her to another of the creatures and told her to climb up. Any thoughts that they might leave her hands free were quickly crushed as they pulled her arms forward and wrapped the rope around both her wrists and the saddle horn. She heard movement by her side and turned to see Horan mounted on his own beast. Horan leaned over and grasped the reins of John's mount tugging on them as he kicked his beast into motion. Her own mount was pulled in behind them. She heard the sharp crack of a whip. Felt the animal beneath her pick up speed until they were racing through the dark. Racing further and further away from the settlement. Further from her people and away from rescue.

**TBC**

**A/N: **That's definitely not good. Has Ronon missed his chance? Will Sheppard behave and give Brille what he wants to protect Elizabeth? Will Teyla safely reach Ronon's location or will the Ree-Tan find her before she does? And what of Rodney? His last trip through the gate back to Atlantis was less than successful. Can he do better this time with the Dalerians waiting at the gate ready to shoot down anyone who tries? Guess you'll have to wait for the next instalment to find out.


	34. Chapter 34

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 34**

Peters mentally noted which of the life-signs represented the Athosian leader as she followed his directions. Locating the Satedan proved to be no more difficult. He had overheard Ronon report earlier that the Dalerians had both Weir and Sheppard and were headed south. A quick check of the HUD later and Peters found that there was only one group on the HUD far enough south with a single life-sign steadily moving in on their position. Finding Teyla a clear route to Ronon's position was a little more challenging as several groups were moving through the settlement, some quite quickly.

"Turn right at the next junction, ma'am."

Peters watched as she took the turn just in time to avoid another group coming up from behind. He scanned ahead of her position and checked the crossways. Seeing that she had a clear run for the moment he swapped his attention to Ronon's position and noted that Ronon's life-sign was no longer moving.

"Dex is no longer alone, ma'am. There are two possible hostiles-Shit, scratch that. There are only two life signs now. Both stationary."

"Understood Sergeant," came her calm reply over the radio.

ooOoo

Teyla followed Sergeant Peters' instructions barely pausing to check her path was clear as she turned to the right. Her sense of direction told her she was once again moving towards Ronon's position. With Peters' help she had avoided any more Ree-Tan patrols and had made good time. She could only hope that it was good enough and that she would reach Ronon in time. She wasn't willing to accept that the disappearing life sign was Ronon. Not until she saw the body.

"Turn left at the next junction and then right again at the next one after that. It's a straight run after that to Dex's position. Both life signs are still stationary."

Teyla reached the first junction and glanced both ways before dashing across the open space and melting back into the darkness. She followed the building line to her left and slowed as she reached the next junction. The two life signs may well be stationary but it would not be a wise move to assume that they were not conscious. She pressed her back into the wall behind her and peered around the corner. Even in the starlight she could see well enough to make out the faint outline of a three bodies in close proximity. They were too far away to determine the extent of their injuries and whether any of them posed a real threat to her or Ronon. She scanned the rest of the area but all was clear.

Teyla slipped around the corner and quickly made her way over to the trio being careful to keep her weapon at the ready should any of them move. No-one did. She kept her weapon aimed at the Dalerians as she knelt and placed her fingers against Ronon's throat. She let out a breath when she felt a strong pulse. She risked a glance away from the hostiles and ran her eyes down Ronon's torso but could see no obvious signs of injury. A better examination would have to wait for the moment.

She stood again and moved over to the Dalerians. The first one she checked was dead and no longer posed a threat. She moved to the second one and noticed the knife lodged at the base of his neck. A quick check with her fingers confirmed the presence of a faint pulse. It would not be long before he joined his comrade in the afterlife. An object in the Dalerian's limp hand caught Teyla's eye in the starlight and she reached for it. It was Ronon's weapon. She turned her attention back to Ronon as he lay sprawled on the ground. There was no way she could carry him to the edge of the settlement all by herself. That left her with only one other option.

She tapped her radio and spoke. "Sergeant Peters I am in need of your assistance. Ronon is unconscious."

ooOoo

Peters studied the gap between the stone buildings as he hovered above Teyla's position. Her idea had seemed like a good one and he had agreed readily. Now he wasn't so sure. The gap was only marginally wider than the jumper. One mistake and he could bring a stone wall down on top of Teyla and Ronon. He would have to descend slowly and carefully to reduce the risk. Take off would be no different. He could only hope that the Ree-Tan didn't show up while they were on the ground or they would be an easy target, cloak or no cloak.

He took one last look at the life signs on the HUD. The Ree-Tan were still moving around but for now the immediate area was clear. He took a deep breath and let it out before returning his concentration to the buildings visible through the port and started his careful descent. He slowed further as he drew close to the roof level checking his position on the HUD. If the buildings were closer at one end of the jumper than the other or he didn't have the jumper lined up perfectly then his next move could end in disaster. The image told him his position was good and he descended the last few feet and released his breath when he felt the jumper touch the ground.

He turned to his co-pilot. "Martinez, take Jacobs and help get Dex on board. I'll keep watch for Ree-Tan."

ooOoo

Teyla looked up as she heard the soft sound of the jumper descending. It was a risk getting Peters to land the jumper even with the cloak operating but it was one she was willing to take for Ronon. They needed to get him safely on board and back to Atlantis and Carson. Moments later she heard the rear hatch opening and Martinez stepped into view quickly followed by Jacobs. Jacobs continued towards her while Martinez held his ground at the end of the ramp with his weapon at the ready.

"What happened, ma'am?" asked Jacobs as he looked at the unconscious Satedan.

"He may have been stunned with his own weapon but I do not know for certain," replied Teyla. "He may have other injuries."

"No worries, ma'am." Jacobs turned to his team mate and waved him over. "Give me a hand. Grab his feet."

Jacobs slipped his hands under Ronon's arms and waited for Martinez to move into place before lifting the big man. Teyla kept pace with them, her weapon at the ready, as they moved back to the jumper. She followed them up the ramp determined to only check on the current position of the Colonel and Doctor Weir on the HUD before continuing after them. If nothing had changed there should only be one Dalerian left for her to deal with.

She moved to the front of the jumper as the rear hatch closed and the vessel began to rise from the ground. One glance at the HUD told her why as several dots were moving in on their current position. On the ground the jumper's only protection was its invisibility. The cloak wouldn't provide any protection from the Ree-Tan weapons nor would the drones as they could only be fired from the air.

"Where to next, ma'am?" asked Peters.

Teyla glanced back to where Peters' men were checking Ronon for further injuries before returning her attention to Peters. It was not an easy decision to make but as leader to her people she was well experienced in making difficult choices. If she sent Peters back to Atlantis with Ronon it would leave her without backup. If it were only herself that she needed to worry about then it would not be a difficult decision to make. But she did not have that luxury. She turned her attention back to the HUD and looked for the life signs that represented the Colonel and Doctor Weir.

"Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir are in the group of three in the upper right on the HUD."

Teyla quickly found the group of dots moving further away and towards a larger group of dots that she could only presume were more Dalerians. Too many for her to manage on her own or even with the Colonel's help assuming he was still in a condition to help. She sighed as she realised there was only one decision she could make. The jumper could get her and Peters' men in close and give them the element of surprise but given the open terrain outside the settlement there would be no chance of making anything other than a frontal attack. At the moment the Dalerians wanted them alive but putting them in a position such as that would put both the Colonel and the Doctor in grave danger. It was a risk but to do nothing when they were so close was not acceptable. She could only hope that her decision was the right one and that Ronon was merely stunned.

She turned back to Peters. "Head towards the Colonel's position."

"Gladly, ma'am"

ooOoo

Teyla kept her attention on the HUD as they closed in on the Colonel's position. It had only taken them a few minutes in the jumper to narrow the gap between them but in that time the two groups of dots had converged. Since then the larger group had remained stationary. She counted ten life signs in total. Assuming both the Colonel and the Doctor were still alive it meant the number of Dalerians had grown from one to eight. Too many for one to take on but maybe not too many with Peters' men and the element of surprise on their side.

"Move in front of their path and land facing them with the cloak on," instructed Teyla.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Peters.

Teyla moved away to check on her friend in the back of the jumper. Martinez looked up from his position next to the prone Satedan.

"There is still no sign of consciousness ma'am. I think he may have hit his head when he fell. He has a nasty lump at the back of his head. Other than that I can find no other injuries."

"Thank you," replied Teyla continuing to watch her friend as he lay stretched out along the bench seat. She considered all that had happened since starting their rescue mission. It was the way of such things that they rarely ran smoothly and it was not over yet. There was still every chance that in the next few minutes they could achieve what they had all set out to do. Rescue Doctor Weir and return her safely to Atlantis. So why did she have such a feeling of unease? Had she missed something? She went over all she knew about the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians in her mind but nothing stood out. She shook her head to clear her doubts. Maybe it was just her concern for the Colonel and Doctor Weir that was weighing on her mind.

"Um…I think we have a problem."

Teyla spun at Peters' words and rushed back to the front of the jumper. "What is it?"

Peters pointed to the HUD. "They're moving far too quickly to be on foot."

Teyla switched her attention to the HUD. Peters was right. At least some of the life signs must be some form of animal transportation. She remembered the reconnaissance missions that she and Ronon had taken what seemed like ages ago and realised that this had been the source of her unease. She should have realised that the Dalerians would not have so easily covered the distance to the Ree-Tan territory without the assistance of the animals that they had seen them using earlier to transport their dead back from the Ancient site.

She pulled her thoughts back to the current time and replied. "I agree Sergeant. It would seem that some of those life signs were not Dalerians at all." On foot, three against eight would not have been insurmountable odds. Not with the element of surprise in her favour. But three against three where their opponent was on a fast-moving animal was another matter. The element of surprise would provide little favour when the enemy could quickly dodge away and she would need to rely on radio contact to track their position in the darkness. If they split up it would be even harder. The alternative was to contact Atlantis and request additional backup. It would take time with the gate two hours away. Maybe too much time. She made her decision. "Continue with the current plan but increase the distance between us and the Dalerians when you land."

"Yes ma'am," replied Peters. "We should be in position in approximately five minutes."

"Once we land I want you to remain on the jumper. We may need your assistance keeping track of the Dalerians once they are aware of our presence. If we do not succeed then I want you to return to Atlantis with Ronon and report to Doctor McKay." Hopefully it would not come to that but the odds were no longer in their favour. It would be foolish not to consider every possible outcome including failure.

"Understood, ma'am."

She moved to tell the others it was time to check their weapons and ready themselves for the next few minutes.

"Crap!"

She turned back at the sudden expletive from Peters and recognised the look of horror on his face as he turned to face her. "What is it Sergeant?"

"They're gone."

Her brow furrowed as she tried to understand his meaning. "What do you mean?" She tried to keep calm as the man before her demonstrated enough anxiety for the both of them.

"Their life signs. All of them. They were there one moment and then they weren't," replied Peters.

Teyla looked across at the HUD and saw that he was right. Her stomach clenched at the thought that she may have lost two of her dearest friends but she was not ready to give up on them yet. "Is it possible that the display is at fault?"

Peters nodded his head as he replied. "Possible but unlikely. It is still showing the other life signs in the Ree-Tan settlement but there is no way of telling how accurate it is without the science team running a calibration test."

She still refused to believe her friends were dead. The Dalerians were determined to rid themselves of the Ree-Tan surely they would not have destroyed the very person they believed could give them what they wanted. There had to be another explanation. "Sergeant, I do not believe they are dead. If we continue to their last known location I believe we will find the explanation."

"I hope so," replied Peters as he turned his attention back to the jumper controls.

ooOoo

Minutes later they were hovering over the last known location of the Colonel and Doctor Weir. It was hard to see anything much outside the port in the darkness but what she didn't see was more important.

"Want me to land the jumper?" asked Peters.

"Yes." She had witnessed many strange things since the Colonel and his people had come to her world and she was sure she would see many more but she was yet to see people and animals disappear without trace. Either she would find their bodies hidden in the darkness or she would find their trail. Either way she would know what had caused them to disappear from the HUD.

Teyla moved to the rear of the jumper and picked up her P-90. She felt a presence at her side and turned to see Jacobs checking his own weapon. She nodded her acceptance of the company before turning her attention back to the task as the rear hatch started its descent. She turned the light on her weapon on and kept it pointed downwards as she stepped from the jumper.

The ground was dry and dusty. A good combination for tracking footprints. Teyla swept her light from side to side as she moved through the darkness. She kept her eyes focussed on the ground trusting Peters and her other senses to alert her to any dangers. Jacobs was off to her right mirroring her actions as they searched for any signs of the Dalerians passage.

It was easy to stray from a straight line in the darkness with no landmarks to lock onto but Peters used the HUD to help keep them moving in a straight line. It was a slow task but she wasn't ready to give up the search without an answer. She didn't have to wait long though before Jacobs called out to her.

"Over here ma'am. I think I've found something."

She dashed to his side and dropped to a crouch to study the illuminated tracks. They were definitely the prints of a large animal and could well be the prints of the animals she had seen the Dalerians using to move their dead. She swung her own light over the surrounding area and saw several other prints nearby. All heading away from the jumper in the direction of the Dalerian territories.

She stood as she spoke. "Let us see where these prints lead us."

Jacobs walked a few paces behind her as she kept her light fixed on the tracks. They had travelled only fifty metres when she could see a dark shape looming out of the darkness. She slowed her approach as she realised the tracks they were following would lead them directly to the large object. As she neared the object resolved itself into a group of large boulders. It would have been the perfect place for launching a surprise attack but the surprise would have been on the Dalerians had they been waiting. Peters would have warned her if there were any life signs using the boulders for cover.

She relaxed a little and returned her attention to the tracks on the ground. She frowned as she realised the hoof prints still ran in a straight line for the boulders. It made no sense to continue towards an obstacle that was now clearly visible. Unless… She swung her light from the ground to the obstacle and stared at the large opening directly ahead. Jacobs moved forward keeping his light trained on the prints they were following. They led him to the entrance of the opening. He swung his light into the opening. Teyla joined him and added her light. The animal prints could be clearly seen disappearing into the tunnel.

"Perhaps we are following the wrong prints," suggested Jacobs.

"We are not," replied Teyla with a sigh. Following the Dalerians on foot was not an option. Even if they could catch up to them attempting a rescue in a tunnel was too risky for the Colonel and the Doctor. She would have to retreat for now and find another way. "We will get them back, Sergeant." Teyla spoke the words as much to convince herself as she turned back towards the Jumper.

She covered the ground back to the jumper quickly as she worked through their next steps in her mind. It was reasonable to assume that the Dalerians would take the Colonel and the Doctor to the Ancient site. Even with the aid of the beasts it would take hours to get to their destination. It was impossible to know how much of their journey would occur underground and where they would resurface again. No. It would be better to catch them at their intended target.

She ran up the ramp barely sparing a glance for Ronon as she made her way to the front of the jumper. "We must return to Atlantis immediately." She waited until they were back in the air and flying towards the gate as fast they could before she explained to Peters what she had seen.

**A/N**: Gosh, now what? Will Ronon be okay? Will Rodney and Lorne make it safely through the gate this time without crashing the jumper again? And will Elizabeth ever be rescued? The answers are coming.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author****'****s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 35**

Rodney felt his anxiety rising as they neared the gate and not for the first time he wished his best friend was piloting the jumper. Not him. This was no place for him. He was a scientist. The smartest scientist in two galaxies. He wasn't a pilot. He shouldn't be the one at the controls attempting to fly through a very small ring whilst being shot at.

"_You can do this, Rodney_,"

"Easy for you to say, you're not here," mumbled Rodney as he checked the distance remaining to the gate.

"_Rodney, you need to do this. Lorne-"_

"I know, I know. But if I crash the jumper and block the gate for the second time in 24 hours – it's your fault," replied Rodney no longer caring if anyone heard him talking to himself. It wasn't the first time that his stressed mind had conjured up Sheppard's voice in his head and it probably wouldn't be the last. As long as he didn't start seeing the figment of his imagination minus his clothes like he had with Carter then he would be fine. He was sure he'd believe it if he kept repeating it to himself often enough.

"_Gotta go, Franklin's here."_

Rodney resisted the urge to tell him to stay when he heard Franklin's voice announcing his arrival.

"What took you so long?" complained Rodney.

"We got here as quickly as we could Doctor McKay," replied Franklin.

Rodney heard the annoyance in Franklin's voice and ignored it. An annoyed Franklin meant he was too busy to notice a nervous Rodney. He pulled his thoughts back when he realised Franklin was talking again.

"-we'll swing around towards the gate and draw their attention. Once we've got it we'll flyover their location. They should track us with their weapons leaving the gate wide open for you to sneak through. Easy."

Rodney snorted at that. He doubted it would be as easy as that. It didn't take a brilliant scientist to fill in the part he'd missed out. Obviously Franklin would be going in without a cloak. He grimaced as his traitorous mind presented him with memories of another jumper crashing into the gate room.

"_Focus, Rodney."_

Rodney took a steadying breath and shoved his memories back where they belonged. Far from sight and thought and replied. "Good luck, Sergeant."

ooOoo

"Okay, let's do this guys. Simmons, dial the gate as soon as we're in range and let 'em know we need a med team in the jumper bay. Dropping the cloak now."

Franklin flew in low and skimmed over the undulating ground. Their low profile would keep them hidden from view until the last possible moment. He wanted the Dalerians to think he was trying to sneak past their defences. What he didn't want them to think about was why he wasn't cloaked. The trick would be to keep them so busy that they didn't have time to think.

ooOoo

Rodney trailed behind Franklin, far enough back to avoid any stray shots. He held the jumper at a steady altitude not even attempting to hug the terrain like Franklin was doing. He didn't think it was necessary since his jumper was cloaked and besides he'd been to enough IMAX sessions back on Earth to know what effect doing so would have on his stomach. He didn't really want to see the meal he'd eaten earlier anytime soon.

As Franklin's jumper crested the last rise before the gate Rodney found his eyes drawn to the line of trenches marked on the HUD. He felt his anxiety rise a notch at the thought that this could so easily go wrong and with his luck probably would. He mentally crossed his fingers, something he'd never admit to doing as he brought the jumper to a halt. Now he just had to wait and hope that Franklin could pull this off.

ooOoo

Franklin kept the jumper on a low approach once the gate came into view. A quick glance at the life-signs read out confirmed the presence of the Dalerians that he couldn't yet see. That would soon change when the firing began which he expected to be any minute now as Simmons punched in the gate address. Moments later the gate whooshed into life and helped illuminate the nearby area in a soft blue light. He imagined heads turning, seeking out an approaching enemy whilst still others lined their weapons up waiting for something to come through the gate. He checked his distance from the gate and decided it was time to let them know which side of the gate their target was.

He watched as the drone raced ahead. It crashed to earth just short of the Dalerian's position and sent a cloud of dirt and burning grass into the air. The extra light was all he needed to make out the face of the enemy and to see that they were all looking in his direction. He smiled to himself when he saw the first flash of weapons fire. So far no-one was paying any attention to the location of the hidden jumper. Phase one complete, now onto phase two.

"Okay, now that we've got their attention, let's see if we can draw them away from the gate."

Franklin held his course until the last moment before throwing the jumper into a tight turn. His new path took him over the trench. It was a risky move. At this height they were an easy target for the Dalerian weapons that had already proven that they were more than capable of downing a jumper. The clang of something hitting the outer hull echoed clearly within the jumper confines. Franklin ignored it as he kept his eyes on his altitude and on the life signs. Simmons would tell him if there was a problem.

"No damage, sir." reported Simmons.

"And no movement at the station either. We need to try something else. Any ideas?"

"You sure we can't just hit them with another drone?" asked Goldblum from behind Franklin.

"They're too close to the gate," replied Franklin. "We can't risk damaging our only way home." He didn't add that if the drone hit the gate that they wouldn't have to worry about finding a way home as there wouldn't be anything left of them to send after the dust settled. He remembered the lecture he had sat through before coming to the Pegasus galaxy. Naquadah may look harmless but overload it and it would make a bigger hole than a nuclear warhead could.

Franklin glanced over at his silent co-pilot and noted that he was deep in thought working on their problem. He liked having Simmons on his team. The man knew how to think outside of the normally regimented training and came up with the craziest ideas. He nearly jumped when Simmons straightened in his seat. "I have an idea," remarked Simmons before he disappeared into the back of the jumper out of Franklin's sight.

"_Why is it taking so long?_" asked Rodney's voice over the radio.

Franklin sighed and answered the impatient scientist. "The Dalerians aren't co-operating Doctor but we're working on it."

"_Work faster!"_

Franklin held his tongue despite the temptation to snap back at the ill-tempered man. Colonel Sheppard had been there the first time he'd been on the receiving end and had taken him aside for a chat. He had come away from the conversation with the advice that he should ignore most of what came out of the scientist's mouth when it didn't directly involve Ancient devices. Instead he focussed on the sounds coming from the rear of the jumper as Simmons rummaged through their gear. He mentally ran through the list of what they had loaded for this mission and stopped when he realised that Simmons had returned from his hunt with something in his hands.

"Smoke bombs?"

Simmons nodded. "I could rig a line and hang them from the rear of the jumper. If we time it right they'll think we've been hit. We then take her down. Make it look like we're about to crash land on top of them. They'll run for cover. We land and make a lot of noise so they know that there are survivors. They're bound to send out their men to investigate."

Franklin considered Simmons' idea. It had merit. The only flaw he could find was that there was no guarantee that the Dalerians wouldn't leave a guard at the gate. He really needed to make sure that they all fled from the trench and were too busy saving themselves to pay attention to anything else. He thought about the ordnance they had loaded and smiled. "I've got a better idea."

Franklin quickly ran through his plan as he brought the jumper around for another flyover. The grin on Simmons face told him that his idea met his co-pilot's standards for crazy ideas. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. He guessed he'd find out later when their scheme either worked or saw them shot from the sky.

Simmons disappeared into the rear of the jumper followed by Goldblum. They quickly located the ordnance and moved it to within easy reach of the rear hatch.

"Make sure you secure yourselves with some rope," yelled Franklin. "I don't want any members of my team falling out of the jumper if I have to take evasive action."

"Yes, mom," replied Simmons as he pulled a length of rope from the nearest storage locker and found a handhold strong enough to take his weight should it have to. He tied the rope off and tugged on it to ensure it would hold before he wrapped the other end around his waist a couple of times. He finished his task and moved over to check the ropes of their youngest team member. "We're good to go."

Franklin opened a radio link with McKay's jumper. "Get ready to go through the gate when I give the word McKay."

"_About time."_

"Here goes nothing," remarked Franklin to no-one in particular as he released the rear hatch and started forward for hopefully his last attempt at getting the scientist safely through the gate.

As they closed in on the trenches Simmons pulled the pin on his first grenade and lobbed it towards the Dalerians. It wasn't close enough to maim anyone but it would be close enough to warn them as to what would come. Hopefully they would take the hint and abandon their position. The first grenade reached the ground and exploded sending a cloud of dirt and rocks into the air.

Franklin cloaked the jumper as they completed their first run. He swung them round in a tight circle and brought them to a halt above the stargate. "Keep those grenades coming and make sure you toss them to the sides. We wouldn't want to do their job for them and destroy our own jumper." Franklin opened the radio link with McKay again.

ooOoo

Rodney dragged his eyes away from the drama unfolding in the rear of the jumper. Lorne needed Carson and he needed him now. Eventually Sergeant Harvey would tire and when he did there was no-one else to take over the CPR for him. Four minutes. It wasn't a lot of time but it was enough to turn a normal person into a brain-dead one. Sometimes he wished he didn't have such a brilliant mind when it also gave him a vivid imagination that often worked overtime creating images infinitely worse than reality. Although in the Pegasus galaxy reality and his imagination vied for first place in the horror stakes.

"Now McKay. Make sure you stay low and stick to the middle road. We don't want to hit you by mistake. We're cloaked above the gate and keeping the bad guys busy."

"And that sounded so comforting," replied Rodney.

Rodney didn't really have a choice though and he knew it. If he didn't go now then Lorne was as good as dead. He could do this. He had to do this. He took a deep breath and sent the mental commands to the jumper before he lost his nerve. Surely fate wouldn't repeat itself. It couldn't be that cruel surely. He hoped not but he wasn't so confident when he drew closer to the gate. Objects, grenades he assumed, were materialising in mid-air and flying across the night sky to land at the feet of the Dalerians. He hoped their aim was true and that they had sufficient firepower to keep the Dalerians too busy to retaliate. After all if the grenades were visible to him thanks to the glow from the stargate then they would be visible to the Dalerians.

"_Focus Rodney,"_

The voice in his head was right. Which of course it would be since it really was his own telling him what he already knew. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and punched in his security code. He startled when something hit the viewport immediately in front of him before being pushed upwards and out of the way by the force of the air rushing over the jumper. He nearly brought up his last meal when he realised the trail the object left behind was red. Blood red. It was fast becoming his least favourite colour and one he saw far too much of since arriving in Atlantis.

He struggled to clear his thoughts as something struck the rear of the jumper. He could only hope no damage was done as the stargate swallowed the jumper.

ooOoo

Franklin waited for the signal from Atlantis that would tell him that McKay made it through the gate safely. He knew from experience that time passed differently in the heat of battle. It could slow down or speed up. Right now he hoped time had slowed down. It was a preferable thought to the alternative. Surely McKay wouldn't drag his heels and make them act as a decoy any longer than absolutely necessary. The grenades helped in keeping the Dalerians busy but they weren't so busy that they couldn't work out where the grenades came from and retaliate. At least while they fired at his ship they weren't firing at McKay's.

"We're running out of grenades," yelled Simmons from the rear of the jumper.

"Copy that. Stretch them out as best you can," replied Franklin. "Come on McKay. Get your butt through the gate before these guys work out that we're not the main attraction."

Time funnelled further as the number of successful shots from the Dalerians increased and the jumper's supply of grenades dwindled. So far the Dalerians hadn't hit anything vital but the longer they remained in a fixed position the higher the risk that they would.

At last word came through from Atlantis. McKay and his passengers were safely through the gate. Time for him to move his own crew to a safer location.

"Time to…" Franklin's words were cut off by a cry of pain from the rear of the jumper.

"Goldblum's been hit!"

"Get him inside. I'm closing the hatch. Atlantis keep the gate open, we're coming through."

Franklin dropped out of the hover and flew toward the gate. He felt the auto-pilot kick in and retract the drive pods just before the nose of the jumper crossed the event horizon. Seconds later the gate room appeared and the jumper began its gentle rise to the jumper bay. He opened a radio channel and requested a med team.

ooOoo

Beckett rushed into the jumper bay ahead of his team. The message hadn't said who was hurt or how many. Experience taught him to always assume the worst and pray that it wasn't that bad. But this time he worried that the worst had indeed happened and he had Maran to thank for that. The Dalerian was still laid up in the infirmary recovering from his injuries. He seemed truly remorseful for the actions of his people. When Beckett asked Maran how the Ree-Tan would treat their hostages the answer was brief and all the more chilling for its brevity. Without mercy. Beckett could well believe it given how the Dalerians had invaded the Ree-Tan world and persecuted its people. There were many examples throughout Earth's own history where the oppressed rose up against their oppressors and committed just as many atrocities in the name of freedom. He prayed Maran was wrong.

"Jumper One is through the gate, Doctor and heading for the jumper bay."

Beckett waited until the jumper landed in the bay before signalling his team to move in closer. Keller joined him and together they waited as the rear hatch slowly lowered. Beckett jumped onto the ramp as soon as it was low enough for him to do so and rushed to Sergeant Harvey's aid.

"How long has he been down, son?" asked Beckett.

"Ten minutes. Before that he was struggling to breathe. He has three broken ribs on his left side and another possible broken rib on the right."

"Likely collapsed lung then." Beckett felt for a carotid pulse and failed to find one. "Start an IV and give him 1mg epi." Beckett busied himself readying the defibrillator. "Sergeant I need you to cut open his shirt and then stand back." The machine beeped and he placed the paddles on Lorne's chest. "Clear." A moment later he fired the charge and watched as Lorne's torso lifted from the bench and dropped again. He shuffled the paddles into one hand and checked for a pulse. "Okay we've got a pulse back. Give him 1mg atropine and bag him."

Beckett placed his stethoscope against Lorne's chest and listened for a moment before switching to the other side. "Definitely depressed breath sounds." He grabbed a swab from his kit and counted down the number of ribs before wiping the area and tossing the swab aside. A nurse handed him his scalpel and he carefully made a small incision before swapping the scalpel for a short tube. Once the tube was in place he rechecked Lorne's lung and satisfied himself that his breathing had eased.

He sank back on his heels and let out a breath of his own. It wasn't over yet but at least Lorne had a fighting chance now. "Okay let's get him to the infirmary."

"Will he be okay?" asked Rodney.

Beckett turned and saw the worried look on his friend's face. "I won't know until I get a proper look at him. I'll let you know." Beckett wanted to ask after the others but he had a patient that needed his attention more at the moment. He followed the gurney down the ramp and paused as a second jumper landed in the bay.

"I've got this one Carson," called out Keller.

Beckett nodded his head and continued on his way to the infirmary. His thoughts already back on his patient and the surgery he needed.

ooOoo

Rodney didn't know how long he had stood in the jumper staring at the blood stains before he could tear his eyes away. He should've known that the rescue would fall apart as soon as Sheppard went after Elizabeth on his own. The guy really was a trouble magnet with a capital T. It was obviously his turn to save the day and the only way to do that was to get back to Daleria as soon as possible but first he needed to find himself a proper pilot. No way was he going to run the gauntlet at the gate again. Not as the pilot anyway. Of course he'd never admit it to Sheppard.

Decision made he stepped from the jumper and stopped. The rear hatch on the neighbouring jumper was open. The jumper that hadn't been there when he parked jumper one. He looked inside and saw Keller applying a bandage to the shoulder of a man he recognised from Franklin's team. Behind them he spotted Sergeant Franklin. When had they come through the gate? Not that it mattered. What was more important was that Franklin was just the pilot he was looking for.

"Franklin, we're going back. Get whatever and whomever you need and be ready to leave in fifteen minutes. We'll take jumper one."

"I'll need thirty. The Dalerians will be more difficult to sneak past after this last run. We'll need another diversion and not just a repeat of last time," replied Franklin.

Rodney realised that Franklin was right as memories of the crashed jumper flashed through his mind again. He sighed and nodded. "Thirty minutes then but not a moment more."

Rodney turned away and decided that if he had thirty minutes before they were ready to leave again then he had time for a quick trip to the mess for a snack to tide him over and a coffee.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Thank goodness Rodney made it safely through the gate. Hopefully his luck continues to hold. Now there will be a short hiatus while I take a holiday to somewhere without internet access. If you don't want to miss the next instalment when it comes then please sign up for a story alert. While you're there why not drop me a line and let me know what you like/dislike about the story. I always love hearing from my readers.


	36. Chapter 36

**Author****'s Note:** As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven as hopefully will be my repeated tardiness in updating this story. It will be finished. Now onto revising the next Chapter. And thanks to those that left an anonymous review. Everyone else I'll get back to you shortly.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.

**Chapter 36**

Teyla stepped into the front of the jumper and glanced through the viewport into the darkness.

"How much further?" she asked.

"Not far. Couple minutes maybe. How is he doing?" asked Peters.

"He is still unconscious." Teyla paused before continuing. "Have you been able to contact Sergeant Franklin yet?"

"No, ma'am. Could be just his comms on the fritz."

"The fritz?" Teyla raised her eyebrows at the curious phrase.

"Broken."

"I hope you are right, Sergeant. "

An image appeared on the HUD. She recognised the symbol marking the location of the stargate and frowned as she studied the positions of the life signs There were fewer than before but they were no longer stretched out in two lines leading up to the gate. Now the few that remained seemed to be congregated around the front of the gate.

She spun to face Peters and asked, "Can we not go any faster?"

"No but we should be just within dialling range. If they have any sense they'll scatter when the gate starts up."

"Let us hope so, Sergeant."

Peters punched in the sequence for Atlantis. Teyla kept her eyes on the HUD and sighed when the life signs shifted to the sides. She held no real desire to kill the Dalerians but she would kill if necessary to protect her own.

"Atlantis, Jumper Three returning. Requesting a med team to meet us." Peters glanced over at her and continued. "You might want to sit down, ma'am. This could get a bit rough."

Teyla sat in the empty co-pilot seat and watched their approach. The gate was clearly visible through the viewport and growing larger with every moment. Something looked odd though. She leaned forward to get a better view. Something was definitely different but she had no idea what it was.

A flare of light flashed up from below the gate followed by a dull boom. Whatever it was did not hit the ship and they continued on their path. Another flash of light lit up the night sky close to the position of the first one.

"Shit! The gate. It's moving."

Teyla stared at the gate. The sergeant was right. The gate was moving. It was falling towards them.

"Can you get us through?"

"Uh…Yes I think so. Hang on."

Peters pushed the jumper forwards and changed its angle at the last moment tilting the nose upwards to meet the event horizon as it fell towards them. Teyla hoped it was enough as her mind flashed back to being on a jumper wedged in the gate and the desperate battle to break free. The Colonel's life had been in danger that time too as it seemed to be all too frequently.

The jumper shuddered as a horrible grinding sound reverberated just as the nose of the jumper entered the event horizon. She prayed that they would make it through just before the gate swallowed her.

ooOoo

Time no longer held any meaning for Sheppard. There was no sense of its passage other than the steady sounds as the animals they rode carried them further into the tunnel. It had been dark before but at least they had had the subtle light from the stars and the small moon to guide them when they were above ground. It hadn't been much but at least he could make out the vague features of the captors and more importantly, so much more importantly, he had been able to see how Elizabeth was doing. Now he couldn't even make out his hands or the pommel they were tied to. He could feel them though. He could feel them with every step the beasts made. The jarring motion rubbed the ropes against his already injured skin. He could deal with the pain. It was something familiar. It was not knowing about Elizabeth and how she was holding up that was eating away at him. Her welfare had always been important to him. Ever since he'd joined the expedition team at her request and O'Neill's insistence. He'd always been willing to put her safety before his own even before he'd fallen for her hook, line and sinker.

Sheppard sighed. Worrying about Elizabeth wouldn't get them out of this. He needed to pull himself together before they got to where they were going and come up with a plan if he was going to have any chance of keeping her safe. He assumed that they were headed towards the Ancient site. How long it would take to get there he could only guess at and given his current inability to judge the passage of time knowing the answer would be of little use. He assumed that they were using the tunnel to avoid detection by his people but how had the Dalerians learnt of the tunnel? He had no answer and again it really wasn't important. There was only one matter that was and that was the reason he was here. Elizabeth. No doubt his team would have noticed his absence by now even if Ronon was still unconscious somewhere. He just didn't want to think of any other possibility for his friend. His team would be searching for him as soon as they could but that might not be soon enough. It might still be up to him to get Elizabeth out of this situation and he was willing to do anything, even give his life, to make that happen. He could only hope that he would get the chance to try again. So far his attempts had proven fruitless. He couldn't afford to fail again. The stakes were too high for failure.

ooOoo

Major Henderson was grateful to step through the gate back into the warm, dry gate room. He'd never been a fan of rain and heavy rain at that. He looked forward to getting out of his wet clothes and into something dry before hunting down a strong coffee to help thaw out his insides.

He looked up to the control room expecting to see his CO leaning on the railing and was a little surprised when he wasn't there. Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised. Sheppard had a habit of pushing himself harder than anyone else. Doctor Beckett wouldn't tolerate that for long given his CO was still recovering from his time-travel exploits.

Henderson changed direction and made his way up the stairs just as the gate started up again behind him. He thought back over the gate schedule and figured that it must be Doctor Weir's expedition returning a little earlier than expected. He frowned a little at that. Had something gone wrong on Daleria? If that was the case then why wasn't his CO in the control room. There was no way that he'd stay away if there was a problem with Doctor Weir's mission.

"What's up Chuck? Where's Sheppard?" asked Henderson as he approached.

"Hopefully-" started Chuck as he monitored the laptop for an IDC code.

"Atlantis, Jumper Three returning. Requesting a med team to meet us."

"Understood Peters," replied Chuck.

Henderson hit his radio before Chuck had a chance to. "Med team to the jumper bay. Injuries unknown." He then turned his attention back to the gate as the returning jumper materialised. He could make out Teyla and Peters in the cockpit but that was all. What the hell had happened? When he'd left Doctor Weir was due to leave for Daleria and Teyla was supposed to be helping Sheppard so he wouldn't overdo things.

"Care to bring me up to speed, Chuck?"

ooOoo

Teyla blinked at the sudden brightness of the gate room.

"We made it."

She smiled despite her worry for her friends. "Yes we did, Sergeant." Peters had done well to get them through the falling gate but with the Colonel and Elizabeth still trapped on the planet they would need to find another way to return to the planet. She tapped her ear piece. "Doctor McKay?"

"Teyla?"

"Rodney we have a problem. I need you to meet me in the jumper bay."

ooOoo

Rodney paced back and forth as Franklin, Simmons and Harvey loaded extra munitions onto the jumper. Patience was never his strong point and even the short wait for Jumper Three to dock in the jumper bay took more patience than he had at the moment. The arrival of another med team did nothing to ease his nerves as he waited. Teyla would've told him if she and Ronon had managed to rescue Elizabeth and Sheppard. So that meant only more bad news which was pretty much the standard for anything and everything in the Pegasus galaxy.

As the jumper settled into its slot he noticed the scrape marks on the side. They didn't look like weapons fire but then who knew what weapons the Dalerians really had. The sound of the hatch opening brought his attention back to Teyla. What could possibly have happened in the hour he'd been back on Atlantis. The med team entered to treat their patient and Rodney followed them pausing at the top of the ramp. All he saw of the person being tended was a pair of large feet clad in non-regulation leather boots. That was enough. He didn't need to see his friend's face to know that it was Ronon. The unrushed movements of the med team told him the rest. His friend was injured but not seriously hurt. His quick scan of those present also confirmed his original theory. Elizabeth and Sheppard were still on Daleria.

Rodney stepped around the med team and joined Teyla as she watched her team mate being wheeled out of the jumper on a gurney.

"What was so urgent? I was about to go back through the gate with another team."

"You cannot Rodney," replied Teyla.

"What? Why not? We need to go back and get Sheppard and Doctor Weir before Sheppard decides he needs to make a hero of himself again."

"We cannot. The Dalerians have destroyed their gate. We were lucky to make it back through."

"What? Are you sure?" asked Rodney.

"I am sure," replied Teyla.

Sergeant Peters added," The Dalerians used explosives to destroy the gate platform. The gate was falling as we flew through it."

"The scrapes on the side," muttered Rodney. "Which way did it fall? Forward or backward."

"What does it matter?" asked Teyla.

"If it fell backwards then we can still access their gate," replied Rdney.

"It fell forwards," replied Teyla. The look of helplessness on Rodney's face matched her own feelings.

Rodney wasn't prepared to give up on his friends just yet. He didn't have so many that he could afford to lose any. He quickly considered what options he had left. The Daedulus was still too far out from Atlantis to be of much use – unless. He tapped his radio. "Zelenka I need you to start a search…"

ooOoo

"What just happened?" asked Peters.

Teyla looked across at him and saw the confused look on his face. She smiled. It was a look she saw frequently around Doctor McKay. "I believe that Doctor McKay has an idea on how we may get back to Daleria." She hoped he was right. She had already lost too many of the people she cared for. She didn't want to lose two more.

Teyla left the jumper bay and made her way to the infirmary. There was one friend here that she could check up on and she intended to do just that. The effects of the stun should be wearing off by now and if she knew Ronon he would be making things difficult for the medical staff. Once he was able to start moving he would not want to be left out of any new rescue team and nor would she stop him if he was truly fit enough. But she knew Ronon was much like the Colonel and would put his own health at risk to help a friend. It would be up to her to make sure that did not happen.

She entered the infirmary and glanced around for her friend. She finally spotted him in the far corner and smiled when she saw that his eyes were open. It was a good sign even if he did not look happy.

"How is he?" asked Teyla as she approached Ronon's bed.

The doctor looked up from his patient and replied, "The temporary paralysis is beginning to wear off but as you can see it still has a way to go. At the moment he still can't speak which given the dagger looks he's been giving me is just as well. It also means that he is forced to rest, another good thing since he obviously took at least one knock to the head at some stage. He has a mild concussion but he should be fine."

Teyla released a sigh. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," replied the doctor before leaving her alone with Ronon.

Teyla moved closer to her friend and rested a hand on his arm. His eyes focused on her and she sensed the questions they held. She hitched one hip up onto the bed and started to fill him in on the latest events.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Seems Pegasus is really out to get them this time. Good news about Ronon though. I doubt that even wild equines could keep him from another rescue attempt. Hopefully Rodney can come up with a solution so he gets the chance before it is too late for Sheppard and Weir.


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note:** Thanks again to the Guest reviewers. I'm not sure that my writing deserves such praise but I'll take it anyway since it helps feed the muse. And yes the holiday was very relaxing and I came back with some new photographs to add to my portfolio which is even better.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 37**

Major Henderson left Chuck and went in search of Teyla Emmagan and Peters. It had been quite the surprise to learn that this was their second rescue attempt and fourth mission to Daleria after realising that Doctor Weir was in trouble. He was hoping they could fill him in on the latest. With any luck they had succeeded in their mission and he could go back to his thoughts of getting out of his wet clothes.

By the time Chuck had finished his tale it was unlikely that the pair he sought would still be in the jumper bay so he decided his best option was to head for the infirmary. No doubt Beckett would have something to say about him leaving puddles all over the infirmary floor. He hoped he would anyway. Chuck hadn't been able to tell him who was injured or even how badly. A Beckett angry at him for making a mess would mean that no-one sported life-threatening injuries. He'd prefer that every time to the alternative but it wasn't too be he realised as soon as he stepped into the infirmary.

Beckett wasn't anywhere to be seen and neither was Keller. It was rare for both of them to be absent especially when one of the Colonel's team needed treatment as Ronon seemed to. Doctor Biro's presence meant either the other two were in surgery or were themselves patients. Neither scenario boded well.

He made his way over to where Teyla sat on the edge of Ronon's bed. Teyla slid off the bed and turned to face him.

"Major Henderson. I was not aware that you had returned."

"No matter. Chuck has filled me in. Did you bring them back?" asked Henderson.

"We did not. If Chuck has spoken with you then you know about the Ree-Tan?" asked Teyla.

"I do. You believed that Doctor Weir and the others were being held by these Ree-Tan. Go on."

"They were. Colonel Sheppard found Lt Jenkins dead and Major Lorne severely injured. Doctor Weir was not with them."

"Where is she now and where is Sheppard?" asked Henderson. If they were both in need of surgery it would certainly explain the absence of Beckett and Keller.

"On Daleria," replied Ronon.

Henderson glanced at the Satedan before returning his attention to Teyla.

"Perhaps it is best if we continue this elsewhere. Ronon is supposed to be resting." replied Teyla.

ooOoo

The news that his CO had led the latest rescue attempt didn't surprise Henderson. Especially not when it was Doctor Weir that needed rescuing. The man had a singular mind when it came to the expedition's leader. Henderson had his own thoughts as to what that meant. He didn't think the IOA would approve but he wasn't about to be the one to tell them. It was nobody's business but theirs.

Nor did it surprise him that Sheppard would be the one still on Daleria with Weir. Normally it was Sheppard's team that kept her safe off-world. This time Sheppard had let Major Lorne and his team take that role whilst he still recovered from his injuries. Knowing Sheppard he no doubt blamed himself for that decision and her capture even though no-one could have foreseen the result. Daleria was supposed to be a safe mission. A little assistance in translating some Ancient writings in exchange for food from the friendly locals. Not so friendly as it turned out. Henderson still couldn't get his head around the story that the Dalerians weren't the original inhabitants and they were hell bent on destroying the race that was. The Ree-Tan. Another not so friendly race given the way they treated Lorne and his men.

Now it seemed the Dalerians had launched their own rescue and snatched Doctor Weir back along with Sheppard. He doubted Sheppard was really in any condition to mount much of an escape but he'd known him long enough to know that he would try anyway. With the Dalerian stargate out of commission though there was nowhere for Sheppard to go other than to hide until help arrived. He had no idea what condition the two of them were in but he had to assume, based on Lorne's condition, that they would both be in need of medical treatment. Without that and food the pair would not last long before the Dalerians found them again. Of that he was sure. They needed to find a solution and find it quickly. Hopefully McKay already had.

Henderson entered the lab and found the man he was looking for bent over a laptop studying something on the screen.

"Any luck McKay?" asked Henderson.

"Seriously. Does Sheppard teach you all to do that?"

Henderson smiled at the scientist's reaction. "The marines beat him to it. Miss Emmagan tells me that you are working on a solution that will get us back to Daleria. Any idea how soon we'll have one?"

"Do you have any idea how big the Ancient's database is, Major?" asked Rodney barely pausing before he continued. "No. I didn't think so. There are thousands if not millions of gate addresses listed. Trying to find one near enough to Daleria to make a difference is like looking for a needle in a haystack when you're not even sure which haystack to look in or even if the needle exists."

It wasn't the first time he'd been on the receiving end of McKay's sharp tongue and he doubted it would be the last. He couldn't really blame the man given the enormous stress he was under at the moment. McKay wasn't any easy man to become friends with. He wasn't one to tolerate fools or anyone he deemed to have a lower IQ than his own which counted in most people on Atlantis, including himself. Somehow though Sheppard had broken past McKay's acerbity and found someone worthy of friendship. Unlikely as it seemed, the feeling was obviously mutual.

"We'll get them back, McKay."

McKay stared at him for a moment before he acknowledged Henderson's words with a nod.

"Call me when you find a gate we can use."

ooOoo

"As we all know the Dalerians have succeeded in making their gate-" started Rodney. The last time he'd seen Ronon he was being carted off to the infirmary. He hadn't expected to see him up on his feet after taking a blast from his own weapon and who knew what else. He'd been too busy to stop by the infirmary to see how his team mate was doing. Teyla had said he'd be fine and that was good enough for him. The proof was stood in the doorway of the conference room wondering why everyone's attention was on him.

"What?"

"Should you be here?" asked Teyla.

"The Doc cleared me," replied Ronon taking the vacant seat beside her. "What's the plan?"

"Doctor McKay was about to tell us," replied Major Henderson.

"Yes. As I was saying, before Conan interrupted me, the Dalerian gate is inoperable. I had Zelenka search for another gate nearby but the closest gate is not even in the same solar system and it would take more than a week to travel the intervening space. I then ran a-"

"McKay," growled Ronon.

"Right." Rodney tapped his datapad and brought up a star chart with a glowing dot. He pointed to it and continued," This is the current position of the Daedulus. It is still 48 hours out from Atlantis but at its current position it is only 8 hours from Daleria."

"So we just send them a message and leave them to go in and beam the Colonel and Doctor Weir out?" asked Franklin.

"Not quite. In the time it will take the Daedulus to reach them they will most likely have reached the ancient site. If the Dalerians are right and it is a weapon then the Ancients will have built it to withstand a Wraith attack. It won't be sitting somewhere easily reached. It'll probably be shielded or buried deep underground. Either way it's possible that the Asgard beaming technology won't work," replied Rodney.

"I thought we could beam stuff through the Ancient shield," stated Henderson.

"On Atlantis, yes. But we can't assume that it will work the same on Daleria. When we came under siege in our first year on Atlantis the Wraith managed to jam the beaming technology. There is no reason to think the Ancients couldn't do the same."

"So what do we do Rodney?" asked Teyla.

"Glad you asked," replied Rodney. He tapped his datapad again and another glowing dot appeared on the screen along with a corridor marked between the two dots. "To get to Daleria, the Daedulus has to travel along this corridor and past this gate. We send a jumper to this point and hitch a ride on the Daedulus."

"How does that help us if the site is shielded?" asked Franklin.

"McKay will get us in," replied Ronon. "Won't you McKay?"

"Hopefully it won't be shielded but if it is it will be easier to find a way around it from on the ground," replied Rodney.

"When do we leave?" asked Ronon.

"The Daedulus will reach the gate in 6 hours."

Teyla gave Rodney a smile. "You have done well Rodney."

"I'll inform the Colonel," added Henderson pushing his seat back and standing.

Rodney watched as the others left. He knew he should be glad they had a plan. He only wished he had the confidence that it would be enough. That they would get to his friends before it was too late.

ooOoo

Time was running out and there was nothing she could do about it. John had been right to be worried about her off-world trips. She had no right to be out here. She didn't have the skills to defend herself let alone have the skills to help them escape. John had been nagging her for ages about at least learning some self-defence moves. Hopefully she would get the chance to take him up on the offer but right now that wasn't looking very likely.

She wished she could see how John was faring. She knew he was somewhere behind her but seeing more than a few inches ahead was impossible in the complete darkness of the tunnel. It was amazing that the beasts they rode could see well enough to keep up their fast pace. She only wished that their eyesight wasn't so good. Nothing good waited for them at the Ancient site.

She thought back to what she had revealed to save John's life. John wouldn't be happy with her when he worked it out and he was bound to sooner or later. She could deal with that if it helped keep him alive for a little longer. She would do anything she could if it would make a difference. She would give up her own life if it meant that he was safe but could she sacrifice a whole race for him? He would never forgive her if she did. And he wouldn't be the only one. The IOA would have her head for even thinking about it. It would be the end of her career and more importantly it would be the end of any chance at a relationship with the man she had come to love.

Life truly was ironic. It had taken her nearly 35 years, a failed relationship and two galaxies to find the man of her dreams and now they'd be lucky if either lived long enough to see another sunset. She had no doubts that Brille would kill them both once he had what he wanted. There was still a slim chance that John's team would find them in time. It wouldn't be a stretch for them to work out where they'd been taken. John hadn't said anything about the jumpers but she had to assume that the team had brought at least one with them. With it they could easily catch up with a group of beasts. She just needed to make sure they had that chance. It was what John would do. It would earn them both a few more scrapes and bruises but she was willing to accept those if it gave her a chance at a much longer future. One with John in it.

**TBC**

**A/N:** See! I knew he could do it. I bet you did too. Rodney would never let his friends down. Now if they can just pull it off in time before the plot bunnies work out what they're up to and ruin everything as is their wont.


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note:** Thanks again to the mysterious Guest reviewer. Is it obvious that I like a little Sparky too and I don't think it is too much of a stretch from canon. Angst? Whump? Yep it's coming.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 38**

Carson sighed as he dropped his used gloves into the waste bin. He'd lost track of how many times he'd had to cut open, stitch up and generally mend the damaged bodies of the expedition members only to have them return again. Some returned so frequently he'd considered permanently allocating beds to them. Unfortunately for Lorne being head of the number two team on Atlantis and a natural carrier of the ATA gene meant that he was in this select group along with the Colonel and every member of his team.

He pulled his bloodied gown off and tossed it after the gloves and left the nurses to the task of cleaning Lorne up and moving him to his usual corner of the infirmary. He intended to check on him again once he was sorted but for now he'd settle for a nice hot cup of tea and giving Teyla an update on Lorne's condition.

He'd barely taken his first sip when he heard Teyla's voice as she greeted someone. He returned his drink to his desk and went out to speak with her.

"Teyla, I was about to call you."

"How is Major Lorne?" asked Teyla.

"Alive no thanks to those savages. It'll be some time 'fore the Major's back on his feet but I expect he'll make a full recovery."

"I am glad."

"The nurses will bring him through shortly if you wish to see him for yourself."

"I do. Thank you, Carson. I am also in need of your services. Our latest rescue mission was not a success. The Colonel and Doctor Weir are still on Daleria and the Dalerians have destroyed their gate. Rodney has proposed a new plan using a jumper and the Daedulus."

"You don't want me to fly the bloody thing, I hope."

Teyla smiled. "No. Ronon believes that the Colonel and Doctor Weir may be in need of medical assistance."

"Given the treatment that they dished out to Lorne and the others I'd say that was a certainty. When do we leave?"

"In five hours," replied Teyla.

ooOoo

"This is madness, Darek. There is no point in continuing our patrols of the settlement. None have reported a single Dalerian since Jaymar's body was found. No doubt the Dalerians have long left and taken the woman with them. We cannot let them reach the Ancestral site. If we go now there may still be time to stop them."

Darek considered Tyrev's words. The Dalerian Enforcers would have travelled from the barracks closest to the Ree-Tan settlement. Brille's men. It had to be. The Great Wall, as the Dalerians referred to it, was no obstacle to them. He had seen them use a black powder to violently remove a tree stump from farming land. He was sure it could be used to clear a way through the wall. With the wind blowing in the right direction he doubted that the sound would carry as far as the village. If they returned the same way then they would be moving away from the Ancestral site. It would take them till the sun reached its peak before Brille's Enforcers and the woman reached the weapon.

"You are right, Tyrev. Gather the men. Leave only a few to stand will head for the tunnel." It would be a hard run to cover the distance on foot but his men were well used to hardship. He had no doubts that his men would reach the Ancestral site before mid-morn.

ooOoo

Darek ran at the front of his men with Tyrev by his side. It had not taken long to assemble all of the men and explain what they planned to do. His words had been met with loud cheers of enthusiasm. It was time to take their world back from the usurpers without the help of the Lantean woman. Brille's men might have superior weapons but they did not have the hatred and determination that came from being dominated by an intruder. At one time his people had been willing to share what they had with the refugees. But the Dalerians had wanted it all. Darek suspected that it was their greed that had led to the downfall of their own world. Darek planned for it to be no different here.

The beam of light he carried pierced the darkness ahead and allowed him to avoid the scattered rocks that marked the path to the tunnel. They were lucky that some of the lights still worked after so long. They were a remnant of the time when the Ree-Tan ruled this world and lived in the settlements that the Dalerians now occupied. Once these were gone there would be no more unless they could rid themselves of the Dalerians.

Something caught the edge of the light and he slowed, raising his fist to slow those that followed.

"What is it?" asked Tyrev.

"I do not know." Darek approached the area and crouched down. The ground was soft here in the shadow of the tunnel entrance. He swept the light across the ground and studied the disturbed ground before reaching out and touching one of the ridges. They were still soft and pliable. Whatever had passed through had done so since moon rise. Only then did the humidity rise enough to soften the ground. Any longer and the day's sun would have dried out the soil and made the prints crumble at his touch. The prints themselves were easy to recognise although there were no yeltan In the lands that the Dalerians forced his people to live in. They simply could not survive on the little water and food available on this side of the wall.

ooOoo

Sheppard didn't know how long ago he'd fallen asleep. Probably not long judging by the way he felt. It would have to be enough though. He doubted he could fall asleep again thanks to the pain from his wrists. It had worsened with the constant chafing to the point where he had to bite his lip to stop from crying out. His wrists weren't the only part of his body reminding that he really wasn't in the best shape. But now wasn't the time to give in to his body. He could collapse once they made it safely back to Atlantis. In the meantime he had to concentrate on finding a way to escape or at least to delay the Dalerians in their plans just long enough for his team to catch up to them. And catch up they would. He just had to bide his time. Easier said than done when his thoughts kept drifting back to Elizabeth. If only he could see her and confirm for himself that she was holding up.

He closed his eyes and let his head drop. She had to feel worse than he did. She hadn't said anything but he'd seen the bruises and the way she held her wrist. She may have been in better condition than Lorne but the Ree-Tan hadn't treated her well. She was just as much in need of Carson's care as he was. And yet here she was still stuck on Daleria. So much for his rescue.

He sighed. Now wasn't the time for self-recriminations. There would be plenty of time for that later. He hoped. He needed to keep focused. Keep them both alive until he could find an escape or his team could get to them. He drew in a deep breath and opened his eyes again. It took him a moment to register that he could just make out the outline of his hands and realise its meaning. They were approaching the end of the tunnel. He looked up and stared forward at the familiar slim outline.

He couldn't take his eyes off her as they continued toward the light patch ahead. She was so close but not close enough. Before he'd been worried because he couldn't see her. Didn't know how she was faring or even if she was still there. Now he could see her. Could see her slouched posture. He hoped see was just sleeping. God knows she needed it but he couldn't stop worrying that it was something more serious. Something that he had no hope of doing anything about while he was still tied to this damned beast.

_Focus, John._ _You won't be any help if you can't focus_. _This isn't one of your dreams. This is reality_.

_Right_. He couldn't believe he was having a conversation with himself inside his head. Maybe that hit on the head earlier had done some damage after all. It was right though. He really did need to focus. This wasn't one of those dreams he'd been having with regular monotony ever since he'd returned to Atlantis after the time-travel incident. Ever since he'd thought that he might not make it back to Atlantis and back to her. Ever since he'd finally realised just how he felt about his boss. His boss. The one person besides Teyla that he really, really shouldn't fall in love with. But he had. And he wasn't the only one who knew it. Carson knew and so did Ronon and Teyla. And that was the problem. He'd managed to keep his feelings hidden until now. He needed to find a way to do so again.

_Damn it, John. Focus. You can worry about that later. First you have to get her out of this._

ooOoo

"Is everyone onboard?" asked Franklin.

"We are waiting on Doctor's Beckett and Mckay," replied Teyla as she claimed the seat behind the pilot.

Ronon sank into the seat beside her. "He's probably grabbing more food."

"I'll have you know I was checking the position of the Daedulus to confirm our rendezvous time." Rodney joined them in the front section and placed his bag on the floor by the co-pilot's seat.

"And?" asked Ronon.

"No change. They'll arrive at the gate shortly after we get there. Why aren't we leaving yet?" asked Rodney.

"Beckett," replied Ronon.

"Oh." Rodney dropped into his seat.

Teyla saw the worry they all felt reflected in Rodney's face. She wanted to reassure him. Tell him that the Colonel and Elizabeth would both be fine. But they had all seen the brutality shown to Lorne and the others. It would be unwise to think that the Colonel and Elizabeth would receive any better treatment. The Ree-Tan and Dalerians had already proven that they would go to any lengths to gain access to the Ancient weapon. They would attempt to use her friends against each other and if they gave the Dalerians what they wanted then their usefulness would be at an end. As would be their lives. Of that she was sure.

Footsteps sounded on the ramp and she looked round to see Carson with someone following him.

"Sorry we're late folks," said Carson.

"It's my fault really," added Keller. "Thought you might need a second pair of hands."

Teyla inclined her head towards Doctor Keller before turning back to face Franklin. "Everyone is on board, Sergeant."

Franklin acknowledged her with a nod and triggered the hatch control before setting the jumper in motion.

ooOoo

Garius followed the Councillor as they rode out of the tunnel and onto the more familiar plains. The sun would be rising soon. It would make the remaining journey to the Ancient site easier but there was enough light already to allow him to just make out the outline of the trees on the horizon.

He turned in his saddle to watch as the Lantean woman rode out of the tunnel. She was slumped over. Asleep hopefully. Not that he really cared. Once she had served her purpose Brille would no doubt order her execution. But until then they needed her alive to do what their own historians seemed unable or unwilling to do.

He glanced back as Horan rode out into the dull light pulling the other Lantean along behind him. Horan's prisoner at least was awake. He had heard what the woman had said earlier about needing the male prisoner. She had claimed that the man was the only one who could operate the device. He did not understand how that could be true. It most likely was not, he reasoned. She had probably been lying to save his life. It would not matter though. He would soon enough be just as dead as she.

Garius slowed slightly as he continued to stare at the man being pulled along behind Horan. Something was familiar then it came to him. The man with his back to him in the barracks cell. This was the same man. It had to be. Same build. Same colourings. And the same messy hair. He was the man that had turned Maran against his own people. He would pay for his actions just as Maran would if he ever showed his face on Daleria again.

Garius encouraged his beast to pick up its pace and moved up to join Brille. Maybe the Councillor would allow him the pleasure of dispatching the male prisoner. Allow him the chance to prove his loyalty and ruthlessness. Allow him the chance to recover his honour.

"Sire. The male prisoner is the same one who led the attack on the barracks. He is the one whom Maran saved from my shot."

Brille turned in his saddle and looked back at the man before turning back to face Garius. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sire. Very. Perhaps we should rid ourselves of him now. I would be more than willing to take care of it for you, Sire."

Brille smiled, "I'm sure that you are Garius. Your loyalty and competence is in no doubt but the man may prove himself of value yet. It seems that the woman is concerned for his life. Even if what she claims about him is not true he may prove useful in keeping her…co-operative. Perhaps I will allow you to deliver any reminders that may be required. Once they have done what we want you may do with him what you like."

"And the woman?" asked Garius.

"She may have another use beyond activating the device," replied Brille.

Garius shivered at Brille's reply. He was well aware what the Councillor meant by his words. There were few secrets between men in the barracks and rumours spread rapidly. It was well known about the women who shared Brille's bed. Some willing, some not so. It seemed that the Lantean was destined to be his next conquest whether she wanted to be or not.

"Do you have a problem with that?" asked Brille.

Garius looked up to see the Councillor watching him. He thought about his answer for a moment. "No, Sire. Her future is of no consequence to me."

"Glad to hear it, Garius. Now let us make haste. It is time we rid ourselves of this vermin."

ooOoo

Elizabeth opened her eyes and found herself looking at a patch of worn leather. She must have fallen asleep despite her worry and discomfort. She felt a little guilty when she remembered John and his injuries. The ride through the tunnel with his hands bound to the saddle wouldn't have helped. She doubted that he would've slept at all. He would've been in too much pain if the pain from her own wrists was anything to go by.

She lifted her head and barely suppressed a groan at the complaint from her neck. Her discomfort was quickly forgotten when she realised that they were no longer moving and it was no longer dark.

"Beautiful. Is it not Doctor?" asked Brille.

Normally she would agree with him. The Ancient architecture held a fascination for her. A promise of discovery and further understanding of the people who built it. But not this time. Not when she knew the device's purpose and the use that Brille wished to put it to. She realised that their time was running out. Down on the plains below them stood the reminder of that. It was hard to believe that only a few short days ago she'd been down there working on the translations completely unaware of the true nature of the Dalerian people. The tent city was still there. A mocking reminder of her naivety.

She tore her eyes away from the sight and turned her attention to the Councillor. He was focused on the buildings that he believed held an Ancient weapon. For a moment she wondered what he would do if the information he had placed so much stock in proved to be wrong. She doubted that it would change the fate of the Ree-Tan people. Brille was determined to rid himself of them one way or another. The weapon only represented a quick solution to his problem. Either way it wouldn't make much of a difference to her and John. Their only hope was to make their own escape or wait for John's team to find them.

Elizabeth twisted round as far as she could and spotted John not far behind her. It was good to see him but even from this distance she could see the tight lines around his eyes. A sure sign that he was in pain. A glance down at his injured arms revealed why. Even in the poor morning light she spotted the blood stains on the bandages that she had applied back in the Ree-Tan settlement. She looked up and saw him watching her - the pain now hidden behind the mask. He couldn't hide the exhaustion though. John would never admit it but she doubted that he was in any fit state to attempt an escape. They would have to wait for his team and hope that they turned up in time.

She cried out when a sharp pain pulled at her wrists. She saw the worry on John's face and reluctantly turned away. It hurt to see him like that. He had always worried more about her than he had himself. It made her wonder whether he felt the same way about her that she felt about him. She hoped she would get the chance to find out.

Another pull at her wrists pulled her thoughts away from John and she found Brille watching her. She didn't like the expression she saw on his face when he glanced from her to John and back. A small smile formed on the man's face before he turned away and started down the slope towards the city. She felt a shiver of fear for John run down her spine. Gone was the man who had welcomed her into his lavish council chambers and in his place was a man who would do anything to anyone to get what he wanted. She had no doubts that he would use John in a bid to control her. She prayed that the others would reach them before it came to that.

The beast she sat on was pulled forward and they moved quickly down the slope. Too quickly in her mind but there was nothing she could do to slow them down. Nothing at all.

And then they were there. At the Ancient site. Dread filled her stomach as Brille dismounted and walked over to where her beast stood. She was sure he could see her fear. She would like nothing better than to wipe the look of superiority from his face. She sat straighter in the saddle and did her best to mask her fear. Years of staring down intimidating men much larger than herself whilst negotiating went into the look she returned.

Brille's expression darkened and he glanced behind her before turning back to her, anger blazing in his eyes.

"Doctor Weir I don't think I need to tell you what will happen to your companion if you refuse to co-operate."

"You need him alive, Councillor. Or have you forgotten he's the only one that can fire the weapon."

"I haven't forgotten, Doctor. But you don't know Horan. He can inflict a lot of pain without the risk of death. Do you wish your companion to suffer more than he has to. I'm only asking you to finish translating the ancestral writings."

Elizabeth didn't see what choice she had. She had already seen what the Ree-Tan were willing to do and she had no reason to think the Dalerians would do anything less. She would do what they wanted. Maybe if she worked slowly she could buy some time. Maybe, just maybe she could give her people a chance to rescue them.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no! They've reached the Ancient site and there is still no sign of the rescue team. Will Rodney and the others get to them in time or will the Ree-Tan beat them there? Will Elizabeth be able to stall her translations for long enough without getting John hurt?


	39. Chapter 39

**Author's Note:** Thanks again to my anonymous guest reviewer. Such high praise I'm blushing. I hope this chapter continues to please.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 39**

It took only minutes to cover the distance from the jumper bay to their meeting point in space.

"Where are they?" asked Ronon.

"They'll be here," replied Rodney absently. Before leaving Atlantis he had downloaded all of the data he could find on the Ancient site to his data pad. He was hoping to find something he'd missed every other time he had read through the same details but so far it was proving fruitless.

His own anxiety levels were barely under control. As usual it looked like it was up to him to save the day. _No pressure then_. Just the worry that he wouldn't be able to overcome whatever protection devices the Ancients had used on Daleria. _Maybe he should've brought Zelenka along_. He-

"They are here," interrupted Teyla.

Rodney pulled his focus back to the large ship filling the viewport. "Good, Let's get this show on the road."

ooOoo

Elizabeth was very aware of the eyes on her as she stood before the Ancient writings. Brille had ordered her hands untied and provided her with some paper and a piece of charcoal to work with. That had been an hour ago. She looked down at what she had written. It wasn't much for an hour's work. Hopefully it was enough to convince Brille that she was trying her hardest. She looked up at the writings again before adding another word to the page. So far the ruse seemed to be working. She'd always been blessed with a good memory and languages came naturally to her. It hadn't been hard for her to recall the details from her work a few days ago meaning that half of the writing was already translated. It hadn't been hard to work out the rest especially now that she knew the site hid a weapon. She'd finished the mental translations about thirty minutes ago.

She frowned as she pretended to have difficulty with a word. She quickly wrote a random word then crossed it out and wrote another. She figured she might be able to stretch the translation for another half hour, maybe an hour but probably not much beyond that without drawing Brille's suspicion. She hadn't dared look at John since she had started. She couldn't tell him that she was stalling. That she was doing this to give his team time to find and rescue them.

"Doctor, I do hope for your companion's sake that you are not deliberately stalling for time."

Elizabeth realised that she'd let her focus wander. She looked up and saw Brille standing in her personal space. She fought the urge to take a step back. How long had she been lost in thought? "I'm not stalling. Ancient text can be difficult to translate. Over time slight variances develop. There is no way to know when this site was constructed, which variation of Ancient this text was written in, what nuance of meaning a particular word held. Your historians and I had planned to spend several days working on this and now you expect me to complete it in much less than that."

She held Brille's gaze as she let him digest her words. She hoped it sounded believable. It was true after all. It just didn't apply in this case. She just hoped he wouldn't know that.

Brille stepped away and she let out a breath. She realised her error in judgement when Brille turned back to face her again. Brille was anything but a reasonable man. He didn't care for excuses. Just results. It was a bad mistake to make. Especially for John.

"I did warn you. Horan, Garius please remind Doctor Weir what the price for her misjudgement is."

"No! What I said is true!"

"Silence, woman. Or I will have his punishment doubled. You brought this on him yourself."

Brille pulled on her arm roughly and spun her round so that she could watch as Horan grabbed John's injured arm and yanked him to his feet. John tried to hide his wince but she had seen it. She didn't think she could watch them do this to him but Brille had made it clear. Any further protest from her was only going to make it worse. She caught John watching her with concern. It was so like him to be more concerned about her than himself.

He grunted when the first punch hit his abdomen and nearly knocked him off his feet. Only Horan's tight grip on John's arm kept him on his feet and upright. John locked his eyes on hers. She could see the lack of blame in their depths. She wished there was something more she could do to stop his punishment. A second punch landed quickly followed by a third and his head dropped. She didn't know how much more of this he could take. It wasn't that long ago that he was lying in the infirmary recovering from serious injuries.

John slowly lifted his head and locked eyes with her again. It wasn't hard to read the message he was sending her. She'd seen that look before. He was telling her not to give in. Not to give them what they wanted. She wasn't sure that she had his same strength.

Brille stepped into her view and studied her. "I think Doctor Weir has learned her lesson. Now return to your translation. I will not be so lenient with the next lesson. If you care for him as much as I think you do then you will finish the translation quickly. Am I understood?"

Elizabeth nodded her head. She understood alright. Their time was running out.

ooOoo

"Doctor McKay, how can you be sure that they are headed towards the ancient site?" asked Colonel Caldwell. "You said yourself that Teyla reported their trail disappearing into a tunnel several hours ago. They could be anywhere by now."

"Yes they could except the Dalerians think Elizabeth is the answer to their prayers," replied Rodney.

"The Dalerians believe that the Ancient site houses a device that will rid them of the Ree-Tan people," added Teyla. "It is something that they have longed for for a very long time. I believe that Doctor McKay is correct in his beliefs."

"What kind of weapon?" asked Caldwell. He had a lot of respect for Doctor Weir despite her insistence in keeping her second in command. It didn't surprise him that Sheppard was stranded on this planet with her. Trouble followed him everywhere he went but he usually found a way to come out on top. It was one of the things he found annoying about the man.

"We don't know," replied Rodney.

"Maran could not tell us," added Teyla.

"Do we have any idea whether they can detect us with this device once we arrive in orbit?" asked Caldwell.

"What part of _we don't know_ don't you understand?" snapped Rodney.

Caldwell bristled.

Teyla placed a calming hand on Rodney's arm. "It is unlikely that the Dalerians know any more than we do, Colonel."

"Unless Sheppard or Doctor Weir help them," replied Caldwell.

"They won't," replied Ronon.

"Everyone has their breaking point. Let's hope we get there before they reach theirs," replied Caldwell.

ooOoo

Elizabeth stared at the completed translation. She had thought it odd that someone would leave anything other than a Keep Out sign on a site housing a weapon. Reading through the words again she realised that it all made sense. The text was a warning. Not just anyone could open the entrance to the Ancient site. Whoever tried had to pass a test first. She'd rechecked her work but nowhere in the text did it indicate just what the test was or what would happen if the person taking it failed.

She let out a breath as she realised Brille had stopped his pacing and was now stood in front of her.

"You have completed the translation?" asked Brille.

She nodded and moved to hand it to him but he didn't move.

"Tell me and do not think you can trick me with a lie. If you try it is your man that will pay the price."

Elizabeth looked across at John. The last thing he needed was another beating from the men restraining him but she couldn't help thinking that the price of failing the test would be high. She didn't have any choice. She had to continue on the path she'd chosen and hope that the others arrived in time. She turned back to face Brille and let out her breath.

"It describes how to access the device that operates the entrance. Anyone wishing to open the portal must first pass a test," replied Elizabeth.

"What is the test?" asked Brille.

"It doesn't say," replied Elizabeth. It was the truth but she doubted Brille would believe her. She had to make sure he did. For John's sake. Looking away now would make her look guilty. So she didn't. She maintained eye contact with Brille as he studied her. He was the first to break eye contact and turn away. She finally felt like she could start breathing again. He believed her. This time. Now hopefully he would believe the rest.

Brille turned back to face her again. "Tell me how it works."

Elizabeth checked the translation details again. "It says that the one who wishes to enter must stand before the arbitrator. It doesn't say who or what the arbitrator is." She didn't think the text was referring to an actual person but she couldn't be sure. It was possible for an Ancient to still be alive if they used a stasis pod but she couldn't imagine them abandoning the site and leaving someone behind. Sure her other self had done just that but that was to ensure the safety of Atlantis and the expedition team. It wasn't likely that the same had happened here. It was more likely a hologram or a device. Either way she suspected that only someone with the ATA gene would be able to trigger the arbitrator. And she had no intention of telling Brille her suspicions.

"What use is that? There must be more. Something you are not telling me!" Brille signalled his men to bring John closer. "Have you not yet learned your lesson? It is no idle threat I can assure you."

She had to handle this just right. She needed John to understand what she needed from him without tipping off Brille. "Wait!" Elizabeth looked at the Ancient text and ran through what it said again. The translation came quickly to her this time. She found the reference she was looking for and turned her attention back to Brille. It wasn't a surprise to find him watching her carefully. "It's the symbols on the wall. Find the one that is the same as this." She drew a copy of the symbol she'd spotted on the wall at shoulder height just to the right of the writing. If she was right then this was the mark of the arbitrator. It probably didn't do anything at all but it would suit her purposes.

Brille took the paper from her hand and turned to his men. "Garius, find this symbol." He turned back to face her. "What next?"

"Place your hand on the symbol and ask for entry. According to the Ancients it will bring forth the arbitrator to whomever makes the request. The person who initiates the arbitrator must take the test."

Brille stared at her. She wanted to check John and see if he understood what she needed from him but she didn't dare look away.

It didn't take Garius long to find the matching symbol. "Found it, Sire. What do I do?"

Brille studied her for a moment longer. "You and your man will both pay if this is a trick."

He grabbed her arm forcefully and pulled her along as he turned and moved closer to where Garius now stood. With his other hand he signalled for Horan to move forward with his prisoner. Elizabeth managed to sneak a view of John and saw him give a slight nod of his head. She turned away anxious to not draw attention to John any more than she already had.

"Place your hand on the mark and request entry," instructed Brille.

Garius hesitated slightly before raising his hand to the mark, placing it tentatively on the smooth surface. "I request entry."

Nothing happened. Elizabeth worried that her gamble may have just cost John dearly. She risked a glance in his direction and noticed his closed eyes and the slight frown on his forehead. Now she was getting really worried. She had assumed that the arbitrator required someone with the ATA gene to initiate it. Since there was no touch pad she had thought that it operated via the same mental component that many things in Atlantis required. Maybe there was more to it than that or maybe the system no longer functioned after being abandoned for so many years.

She felt the grip on her arm tighten painfully and bit back a cry of pain.

"Why has nothing happened?" asked Brille.

"I don't know. It should've worked. Maybe it is broken after all of this time," replied Elizabeth desperate to avoid any further punishment for John.

"Something's happening!" cried Garius.

Brille spun round to see for himself. Elizabeth took the opportunity to glance across at John. His eyes were now open and the frown was gone. She studied his face for a moment while his attention was focused on the Ancient site. He looked ready to fall down. He wouldn't of course. She knew full well how incredibly stubborn and determined he could be.

She turned her attention back to the Ancient site in time to see an object emerge from the wall at shoulder height in front of Garius. It was bulbous in shape and reminded her of a large flower bud. Once the base of the bud was clear of the wall its movement ceased. Another moment passed before she heard a metallic click and the petals of the bud slowly unfurled looking even more like a flower. The petals locked into place forming a buttercup shape. A few more moments ticked by but nothing more happened.

Brille pulled on her arm dragging her forward as he moved closer to take a look at the object. Up close it still reminded her of a flower but now she could see that the shape was all they had in common. The inside of the object was smooth and contained absolutely nothing.

Brille straightened from his inspection and turned to her. "What is it?"

There was only one thing she thought it could be. "The arbitrator," replied Elizabeth hoping she was right.

Brille turned back to look at the device again. "How does it work?"

Elizabeth had no idea. The Ancient text had contained no instructions on how the arbitrator worked. Maybe it had been common knowledge amongst the Ancients. She couldn't tell Brille that though. He'd think she was lying or stalling again. She quickly thought back over every Ancient device that they had encountered since arriving in the Pegasus galaxy. Nothing came close to anything like this. She felt her insides clench as she realised if she didn't give Brille an answer soon he'd order his men to punish John again. She didn't think he could take much more of their punishment.

She felt the grip on her arm tighten painfully and she realised that at some point Brille had turned to watch her.

"Quit stalling woman. Tell me how it works," demanded Brille.

She heard a grunt from behind her and she wanted to cry as she realised that John had taken another hit. She needed an answer and quickly. A distant memory flashed through her mind giving her new hope. She looked at the device again. It did look similar to the description she remembered from one of SG1's mission reports. It obviously wasn't the same type of device but could it operate in the same way? There was only one way to find out. For John's sake she hoped she was right.

"He must place his face into the device," replied Elizabeth pointing to Garius.

Brille studied her for what seemed like forever but was probably only a few seconds. He kept his eyes on her as he spoke over his shoulder. "Garius. Do as she says."

"What if she is lying? The text could've said anything." asked Garius.

Brille continued to watch her as he replied. "She knows what will happen if she is. Do as she says."

Garius stepped forward. Elizabeth could see he was nervous and she didn't really blame him. She had no idea what the device would do and it was making her just as tense. She had to be right. She just had to be. She held her breath as Garius glanced at her before leaning forward and placing his face into the face-sized receptacle. She jumped back as the device shifted again. The petals rapidly extended further and wrapped themselves around Garius's head causing the man to panic. He grabbed at the device trying to pry it away from his face without success.

"Get me out of this thing!" demanded the muffled voice.

Brille turned to her, his face red with anger. "What have you done?"

Before Elizabeth could reply a disembodied voice spoke in Ancient. She sighed in relief when she realised that she had guessed correctly. "Nothing. The test has begun."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Poor Sheppard. He always seems to be on the receiving end of a little whump in this galaxy. And Elizabeth isn't faring much better on the emotional front. Will the team find them in time? Or will the Ree-Tan get to them first? And just what is this test?


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note:** To my anonymous reviewer. Reading your review just made my day and my muse's.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 40**

Teyla stopped in the doorway and watched Rodney working with Hermiod. Keeping him busy was the best way to stop him brooding about what was happening to Elizabeth and the Colonel. She was grateful to Colonel Caldwell for suggesting that it would be a good idea that he work on the scanners and see if there was a way to improve them so that they could simply beam their people to the Daedulus once they found them.

She did not understand what he was saying as he tapped away at the console but that did not matter. She knew he would do everything he could. She smiled when she saw Rodney smack Hermiod's hands away and mumble something about incompetents. Dr Novak let out a loud hiccup as she looked nervously at Hermiod and then back to Rodney.

Teyla turned away and headed towards the mess where the others waited for her. They were still a long way from Daleria and there was nothing to do but wait. She sighed. She was tired of waiting. Normally she would use meditation to help calm her turbulent thoughts and emotions but even that had failed to help her this time. Seeing Major Lorne in the infirmary had unsettled her. She had no reason to think that the Dalerians would be any less brutal after their rough treatment of Sergeant Clarke. They were a desperate people. She had met their kind before and knew that they would do anything to get what they thought was their right. They would not hesitate in hurting her friends. Of that she was sure. As she was that they would have already arrived at the Ancient site. Time was running out to save them and there was nothing she could do but wait.

She sighed again and tried to put her thoughts aside as she stepped into the mess. Ronon looked up as she entered and pushed the seat opposite him out with his foot.

"Where's McKay?" asked Ronon around a mouthful of food.

She gave him a small smile and replied, "Arguing with Hermiod."

"Figures," replied Ronon still watching her as she sat down. "You okay?"

"I am just worried," replied Teyla looking up as a mug appeared before her.

"We all are," added Beckett as he took the seat beside her and Keller took the seat opposite him.

Teyla took a grateful sip of the hot liquid. It was strong. Just the way she liked it. It brought back memories of the day she had met the Colonel on her world. It had been easy to like him and he had proven himself worthy of friendship. To her and her people. For that she would be forever grateful.

"When this is all over do you think the Colonel will tell her how he feels?" asked Keller.

"I have wondered the same thing. I do not think he will," replied Teyla ignoring Ronon's chuckle.

"He bloody well should and I told him as much," added Beckett.

"Bet that went well," said Ronon.

Teyla smiled at the image that came to mind. The Colonel was a very private man. She remembered one evening on Atlantis. She had run into the Colonel as he carried a picnic basket. It had been obvious to her that he was smitten with the beautiful Ancient, Chaya. He had been quick to explain away his plans and had become nervous when she had mentioned that he was allowed to have feelings for others. It was a relationship doomed to fail from the start and it had.

"Maybe she'll say something," added Keller. "She feels the same way."

Teyla wondered. She remembered the conversation with Elizabeth in the Colonel's room when everyone had thought him dead. Teyla had told Elizabeth the real reason why Arnyetta had looked like her. Elizabeth knew how John felt. Teyla had made sure of that. She deserved to be happy. They both did. But Elizabeth was no different in keeping her feelings to herself.

"I do not think she will either. She knows how he feels yet she has not said anything to him since his return," added Teyla.

"Maybe she will this time," insisted Keller.

"Maybe," replied Teyla.

ooOoo

John didn't know what he'd expected the device to do and he could see from Elizabeth's reaction that she hadn't really known either. He watched as Garius struggled to release himself from the machine's grip without success. Getting the device to activate had taken more concentration than John usually required to operate Ancient technology. Normally a simple thought was all he required but that hadn't worked this time. For a moment he'd thought it wasn't going to respond at all but then he'd closed his eyes and concentrated all his thoughts on the symbol that Garius had placed his hand over. He'd nearly given the game away when he felt a faint response. Never before had he received a reply. He'd blocked everything else out and concentrated on the response. He'd felt it increase its presence in his mind until it became almost painful. He had barely heard the device as it began to emerge from the wall. It had taken all his efforts not to groan at the increasing pain in his head. He hadn't dared risk letting the Dalerians know that he was the one triggering the device and not Garius.

The Ancient presence was gone now but his head still ached horribly. He was doing his best to ignore it as he usually did. If he didn't work out how to get them out of this mess a headache would soon be the least of his worries. He wondered again why Elizabeth had told Brille that Garius was the one who had to undertake the test. It seemed odd given that it had taken his ATA gene to activate the device. Obviously she knew something he didn't. He glanced at her and found her watching him. She turned away quickly but he had seen the concerned expression on her face before she did so. He wanted to tell her that he was fine but he doubted she'd believe him at the moment.

John sighed quietly and turned his attention back to Garius. He wondered again what Elizabeth knew that he didn't. He doubted that the arbitrator would work for someone without the ATA gene. So what did she gain? A little time maybe but it wouldn't be long before Brille worked it out for himself. The man was cruel but he wasn't stupid. Once he worked out that he had been duped he would be looking for someone to take it out on. John hoped he would be the one receiving the punishment again and not Elizabeth. He was truly afraid of what Brille might do if he worked out that all he probably needed to open the entrance and fire the weapon was John and his gene. When that happened Brille might decide he didn't need Elizabeth anymore. He couldn't allow that to happen. He wouldn't.

ooOoo

Elizabeth looked away from John quickly. She suspected that triggering the arbitrator had taken its toll on him. Not that he would admit it. She wondered how much more he could take. How much more he would have to before help arrived. She thought about the holiday she had talked him into all those weeks ago. Before he'd disappeared into the future for two months. If they got out of this she would make sure that he actually took that holiday.

She pulled her thoughts away from John when she heard a low noise coming from the arbitrator. She watched as Garius started squirming again. His movements became more desperate as the noise increased in volume and rose in pitch. Her ears were starting to hurt and she suspected that she wasn't the only one suffering. Brille released her arm and covered his ears. She felt guilty that she could do the same when she knew John couldn't.

"What is happening?" yelled Brille over the noise.

"I don't know," replied Elizabeth. It was the truth. She didn't. But she could guess and it wasn't good news. Not for the Dalerian.

The noise continued to increase. Even covering her ears was offering little relief from the pain the sound was causing. She looked across at John. He had his eyes screwed shut. His mask was down again and she could see the pain clearly written on his face. His knees buckled and he dropped to the ground. It hurt to see him in so much pain but there was nothing she could do for him except hope for it to end and soon.

She got her wish moments later when the device fell silent. She turned to see why. Laying on the ground was Garius, blood dripping from his ears. He wasn't moving. She looked up at the device and noticed that it had disappeared back into the wall leaving no trace of its presence. The Ancient voice spoke again telling her what she already knew. Garius had failed the test and paid the price. She was responsible for his death. Guilt gnawed at her. Was this how John felt every time? She thought back to Kolya's attack on Atlantis and hoped not. A large number of people had died that day.

Brille pulled her from her thoughts when he turned on her. He was furious. More furious than she'd seen him before."If I did not need him to fire the weapon I would have him killed for your deceit! A fact that I am sure you were counting on." Brille turned to Horan.

John still looked shaky on his legs as Horan dragged him to his feet. Brille walked over and stopped in front of John. John's head was bent down but she was sure he had heard Brille's words. Brille grasped him by the hair and yanked his head up. "I wonder. Do you care for her as much as she appears to care for you? I bet you do or you would not have come for her. Do as I want and I will spare her life."

"And why should I believe you?" replied John.

"Because I am a man of my word," responded Brille.

"Could've fooled me."

Elizabeth gasped. Why would John antagonise Brille? Even from here she could see the livid look on Brille's face. She could only watch as Brille struck out and backhanded John. The hit was hard and John sagged back against the arms that were holding him upright. He wasn't ready to back down though and pulled himself back up. He stared back at Brille in defiance.

"Do I need to hurt Doctor Weir to prove my point?" asked Brille.

"John, don't give him what he wants," pleaded Elizabeth.

John looked across at her for a moment before dropping his head in defeat. "No. I'll do it."

"Good. Horan untie him and place his hand on the symbol. Any trouble and Doctor Weir will be shot."

John avoided eye contact with her as he was dragged past her and over to the wall.

"Don't John. It's not worth it. I'm not worth it," cried Elizabeth. John wasn't supposed to take the test. It could kill him like it had Garius. She spun to face Brille. "What if the test kills him like it did your man? Who will fire your weapon then?"

"Stop Horan. Doctor, are you volunteering to take the test?" asked Brille.

"Don't listen to her! It will kill her. I'm the only one who can pass the test. Same as I'm the only one who can fire the weapon."

"Then there is no harm in her taking the test first," remarked Brille.

"Do that and _trust me_ I'll never give you access to the device," replied John.

Brille gave Horan a nod. "If you are lying, she will pay in blood."

ooOoo

John hoped Elizabeth would forgive him once she understood. He had tried to give her a message but judging by her reaction he'd been unsuccessful. He couldn't make it any clearer without risking Brille understanding as well and that would be disastrous.

He felt a tug on his arm and turned to see Horan tilt his head.

"Move."

John nodded and walked over to the wall with Horan by his side. He stopped in front of the symbol and lifted his bound hands. Horan stared at him for a moment. Probably wondering whether he could really be trusted once the ropes binding his wrists were cut. "I'll behave."

Horan nodded and quickly cut through the bindings. John gasped at the pain that shot up his arms as more skin tore away along with the ropes. He didn't dare look at his wrists for fear of what he would see. Nothing good he was sure. He fought back the pain and turned to face the symbol on the wall. He had no idea what it meant but he did know that it had nothing to do with triggering the device. He wasn't about to tell Brille that though. He figured Elizabeth had told Brille what she had to hide the fact about John's mental connection with Ancient technology. So he wasn't about to give the game away either.

He took a steadying breath and placed his bloodied hand over the symbol. "I request entry." He cleared his mind of all other thoughts and concentrated on triggering the device. It was as slow to respond as it had been before making him wonder whether the weapon would even work. He pushed the thought away. There would be time to worry about that later. He closed he eyes and concentrated harder. This had to work or Brille would carry out his threat. A faint vibration ran through the wall as the device finally responded to his request. Now he just had to make sure he passed the test. He hadn't exactly lied to Brille. He truly was the only one who had any hope of passing the test but by no means was it a sure thing.

He turned to see the device fully extended and looked at the body that lay in the way. Horan noticed and stepped forward shoving Garius's remains out of the way with his foot. John didn't wait to be prompted before moving to take Garius's place. He studied the device hoping to learn something, anything about what was to come but there was nothing to see. Nothing but Garius's blood as it continued to drip from the device. Hopefully his wouldn't be joining it in a few minutes. He took a breath and placed his face into the device.

He heard a minute click and felt the device slide into place, surrounding his head. Darkness descended and it took all his self control not to panic like Garius had. He could do this. He had to. He was not ready to die yet and he certainly wasn't going to let Elizabeth die in his place.

He sucked in a breath and tried to calm his nerves as he felt something touch his skin. His imagination was running overtime threatening to unbalance what little control he had. Something brushed against his ear before slipping into his ear canal. It felt cold and sticky against his skin. He tried to ignore it as it slipped in deeper only stopping when it reached his ear drum. Something brushed against his other ear and he steeled himself against his rising panic. He had to stay calm. Calm and focused.

Something blue appeared to his right. He tried to see what it was but it was just beyond his reach. Slowly it moved across his face and he realised he was being scanned. For what he didn't know. Maybe it was just confirming his ATA gene. The blue light completed its path and blinked out leaving him in darkness again. It didn't last long though as images began to form before his eyes. Images that he recognised. Some which he wished fervently that he could forget. The machine was searching through his memories. The images flashed by faster and faster until all he wanted to do was close his eyes against the bright light. His eyes slid closed only to open them again when he felt a sharp pain deep within his ears. "Okay, I'll watch your damn slide show."

Finally the flickering images slowed and stopped on an image of him stepping through the gate to Atlantis for the first time. The place that had given him his life back and he now chose to call home.

_Welcome John Sheppard of Atlantis. Your request is granted._

John gave a sigh of relief as the tentacles retracted from his ears and the device sprung open releasing him. He blinked at the bright sunshine and stumbled back. Strong arms steadied him until he got his own balance under control again. He scrubbed a hand over his face and past his ear checking for blood but there wasn't any. He pulled himself together and straightened up as he noticed a section a wall beneath the Ancient text slide aside and reveal a dark passageway. He hated dark passageways almost as much as Rodney did. Nasty things had a habit of laying in wait in their shadows. Nasty things that had a habit of landing him in the infirmary.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I'm so glad John passed the test. And such a pity about Garius…not.


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's Note:** To my Guest Reviewer, Thanks again for making me blush with such wonderful praise. I'm not sure I deserve it but I'll happily take it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 41**

Brille was ready to cover his ears again as he watched the device encase the Lantean's head. A voice spoke in a language he didn't understand but recognised from the earlier test. It had begun. Soon he would know whether the man spoke the truth.

It had taken so long to reach this point. Years of work to climb his way to the position he now held. It had all been for this day. It would have taken his historians years, if not longer, to decipher the writings without the help of the Lanteans. It truly was a blessing and a sign that he was on the right path. The path to delivering the whole planet to his people and not just a portion of it.

Time passed slowly as Brille waited for the test to run to its conclusion. No further sound had emanated from the device increasing his confidence that the Lantean had indeed spoken the truth. Moments later the device sprung open and released the man. Horan stepped forward as the man staggered back. Movement to his left caught Brille's eye and he turned to see a section of wall sliding aside. He smiled. At last his goal would soon be realised. He would finally be rid of the Ree-Tan.

ooOoo

John was still staring at the opening when a not so gentle hand shoved him forward and over the threshold. He threw a hand out to catch his balance and found himself suddenly bathed in a bright blue light. Experience told him it was more than just a light. It was some kind of scan. The slight tingle of his skin only confirmed that. Perhaps it was another security control. The blue light blinked out replaced by a dim white light. It was better than the darkness but only just after the brightness of before. Something hard pressed against his spine and prodded him forward.

"Move."

"I'm moving," replied John. There was only one way to go and that was forward. The passage stretched into the darkness with no hint of what lay ahead. Maybe it was a security device allowing visitors to be studied without being seen. Who knew. He certainly didn't. He risked a glance over his shoulder and spotted Brille standing just inside the entrance. Elizabeth still firmly in his grasp. It made his blood boil to see her being treated like this. He had no doubts what would happen to the both of them once Brille had what he wanted. Or what would happen to Elizabeth if he didn't.

Sheppard returned his attention to the gloom in front of him when another light came on overhead.

"Why are the lights coming on by themselves?" asked Brille.

"Motion sensors," replied John over his shoulder hoping that no-one asked about the blue light.

"And the closure of the opening?"

"Same reason." John knew that neither statement was true. The lights were coming on because of his ATA gene and the door had closed because he'd asked it to. He didn't want to risk any more Dalerians joining the party. Two were more than enough for him to find a way to deal with if he had to and it was looking more and more likely that he would. Rodney and the others should've noticed their absence long before sunrise. Where were they? Something had obviously stopped them from coming to the rescue.

He put his worries for his team aside when he spotted what waited for them at the end of the passage. He stopped in front of the familiar door of a transporter. The ones on Atlantis didn't require the gene but it was possible this one would be different. A quick image of Horan touching the access panel and falling down dead flashed through his mind. It was a nice thought while it lasted but Brille would blame John and take his anger out on the one person John wanted to protect more than anything . He couldn't let that happen.

John sighed and raised his hand to the sensor. The transporter doors slid back revealing an unfamiliar plan of the Ancient site.

"What is this?" asked Horan. "Is it the weapon?"

John considered telling him that it was but he didn't think it would fool them for long. "No. It is a transportation device." He stepped inside and looked at the map of the Ancient site. It wasn't anywhere near the size of Atlantis but it was larger than he had expected from the outside. Either it was like the Tardis or the remainder of the complex was somewhere below their feet. There were several other transporter locations marked on the map besides the one marking their current position. He checked them all but he had no idea what any of them represented. He'd learnt a small handful of Ancient words since coming to the Pegasus galaxy. Weapon was the first one he'd learnt, much to Rodney's disgust, but it was nowhere to be seen. He could just select one at random but if it looked like anything other than a weapon room Brille would take it out on Elizabeth.

He turned to find Horan studying the plan from the safety of the passageway and nearly smiled. Brille came into view behind Horan still holding onto Elizabeth and wiping away any thought of a smile.

"What is this thing?" asked Brille.

"He says it is a transportation device, Sire," replied Horan.

Brille moved closer handing over Elizabeth to Horan. He peered at the illuminated diagram for a moment before sweeping his eyes round the rest of the interior. He took a step back and signalled for Horan to enter the device before him with the Lantean woman. After a brief hesitation he stepped into the device and asked "How does it operate?"

"By pressing whichever dot marks your destination," replied John noticing that Elizabeth was between Brille and the transporter door. If he moved quickly he could push her back out into the passageway and then trigger one of the dots before the Dalerians could react.

"Do not even consider it," warned Brille placing himself between Elizabeth and the transporter door.

John sighed inwardly. He doubted he'd get another chance like that one.

"Enough delays. Take us to the weapon," ordered Brille.

John ran his eyes back over the diagram. He had an idea where it was even if it wasn't clearly labelled by a word he recognised but he had to drag this out for as long as he could but not at the expense of Elizabeth's safety. He needed to make sure she was safe. As safe as she could be in the circumstances and to do that he needed to make sure she was still of value to Brille. There was only one way he knew how to do that.

John sighed again. "I can't. The dots are labelled in Ancient."

Brille raised his hand to hit Elizabeth and John thought he'd seriously misjudged Brille but then Elizabeth blurted out, "He can't read Ancient. Only I can."

John wanted to kiss her for reminding Brille that she was still a valuable hostage and not just a punching bag to keep him in line.

ooOoo

Elizabeth winced as Brille grabbed her arm again and pushed her forward.

"Then read it!"

Elizabeth glanced at John before focusing on the Ancient writing. She knew they were only delaying the inevitable. Help obviously wasn't coming. Not in time at least. They were on the own and sooner or later Brille was going to realise that they could never hand over the weapon. No matter what threats he made.

She sighed and continued working her way across the diagram. She frowned when she had read the last one. That couldn't be right. One of them had to lead to the weapon. She read through them again to make sure she hadn't missed one. It had to be here somewhere.

John grunted in pain behind her. She spun round to find John leaning forward, one arm wrapped around his abdomen and breathing heavily. Horan was stood next to him, ready for another strike. Elizabeth turned her glare on Brille. "Hit him again and I will not translate anything." She felt John's eyes on her but she didn't dare turning her attention away from Brille. He had to understand that she meant what she said.

"Find the location of the weapon and I will have no need to," replied Brille returning her glare.

She dipped her head. It wasn't a win. She doubted he'd listen to anything other than what he wanted to hear at this point. She turned to look at the diagram and started reading through the labels for the third time. They were spread over more than one level. The top level seemed to be conference rooms, offices and the mess. The next level down contained several large storage rooms, a small medical facility and a number of smaller labs. The final level could only be reached by a single transporter and appeared to contain only a few rooms. One was larger than the others and bore no label at all. The smaller rooms were marked as biological stores. A narrow column ran through the entire complex connecting all three of the levels straight through the centre.

She thought over what she knew of the Ancients and their weapons. Which wasn't much. The only weapon they had found to date were the weapons chair and the jumpers. Both fired drones. She looked closer at the narrow column. Could it be that this was just another drone firing mechanism?

"Doctor."

"Just a moment," replied Elizabeth. She followed the column down to the bottom level. Could it be that simple? It made sense to place the weapon where it would be safest but surely John would've known that even if he couldn't read the Ancient labels. The reason came to her in a flash. He would've known therefore he was stalling for time and he'd done it in the one way he'd known wouldn't see her hurt. She would have to have a serious talk with him if they ever got out of this alive. He had to understand that his life wasn't any less valuable than anyone else's. Especially hers.

She turned to Brille and pointed at the dot for the third level. "It's this one but we can't get there directly from this level." She glanced back at the diagram and pointed to another dot. "We have to take this one to the first level then another transporter to get to the second level before we can access the one that will take us to the level the weapon is on."

Brille looked at her for a moment more before focusing his attention on John. "Do as she says."

ooOoo

John touched the symbol on the map as requested. No sooner had the doors to the transporter closed and they were opening again. He stepped out into a large hallway with three passageways leading away. He glanced along all three but there was nothing more to see in the limited light available.

Horan prodded him in the back again. He was getting tired of Horan and that damned weapon. He'd love nothing better than to show Horan what he could do with it. Instead he turned and took the passage on his left. He would do what he had to until an opportunity presented itself. An opportunity that had some small chance of success.

A five minute walk through passageways that reminded him of Atlantis brought him to the transporter that would take them to the second level. John waved his hand across the sensor and entered once the doors opened. He checked the map again to make sure he had his bearings correct. Taking a wrong turn now would only anger Brille further and he didn't want that. Not when Elizabeth would be on the receiving end. The others joined him and he selected their next destination.

The doors opened and revealed a view identical to the one on the previous level. This time John led the others down the right hand passageway. Minutes later they arrived at the transporter that would take them to the third and final level. Time was running out and he still didn't have a plan to get them out of this. He sighed inwardly and press the final symbol.

ooOoo

John stepped from the transporter into a small bare room not much larger. A door filled the wall to his right leaving little room for a sensor. If he and Elizabeth were right then this door would lead them into the weapon room. He mentally crossed his fingers. They couldn't afford to be wrong. Not now. Not after the earlier delays. John hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and swiping his hand across the sensor.

Nothing happened. He swiped his hand across the sensor again, more slowly this time but still nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" asked Horan.

"It's 10,000 years old. I'm surprised that any of it's working," replied John. "Give me a minute." There was only one method for him to try. He'd seen Rodney do the same thing many times since coming to Atlantis. Of course Rodney had his trusty data pad and a few science degrees to back up his actions. John only had a good memory and a healthy respect for staying alive.

He tried to pull the sensor cover off with his fingers but it didn't work. He couldn't seem to get purchase on the smooth surface. He turned to Horan. "I need a knife." Horan looked at him in disbelief.

"Give it to him. He knows what will happen if this is a trick," ordered Brille tightening his grip on Elizabeth and touching the barrel of his weapon against her head.

John saw the fear Elizabeth tried to hide from him. Guilt gnawed at his insides. It was his fault. If only he hadn't botched her rescue. Somehow he had to get her out of this. How he had no idea but he wasn't about to make things any worse. "It's no trick."

Horan slipped the knife from his belt and handed it to John. The knife slid into the gap between the sensor and the wall easily. John twisted the blade and succeeded in prying the cover off. Inside were six crystals. Three more than he remembered seeing on Atlantis. He had no idea what difference the other crystals would make. Hopefully none other than giving him more combinations to try. There were seven hundred and twenty possible combinations alone without including the combinations where one crystal was used to bridge two of the others. What if he needed to include combinations where three, or more crystals were bridged or where two crystals were used for this purpose? He realised that it could take him awhile and that without McKay and his datapad there was no guarantee of success. He didn't want to think about that possibility. Not until he'd exhausted every combination.

Horan reached across and reclaimed his knife. "Now what?"

"Now I work out how to override the door's locking mechanism," replied John.

He took a deep breath and pulled the first and third crystals out and swapped them. Nothing happened. He then took the second crystal out and used it to bridge the first two. Again nothing. He shifted the crystal down to cover three and still nothing. He returned the crystals to there original positions. With so many combinations to try it would be very easy to lose track of the ones he'd already tried. He tried several more combinations all with the same result. Nothing. He knew it wouldn't be long before Brille's patience ran out. Why did the Ancients have to use six crystals? Why couldn't they have just used three like they did in every other door control he'd seen? There had to be a reason even if he didn't know what it was. Maybe it was to stop someone from doing exactly what he was. Maybe that was all it was. A security device to stop someone from breaking in. A security device that needed the crystals in just the right sequence much like using a keypad entry system on Earth.

John pulled out the bottom crystal and inspected it closely. He looked for anything that would distinguish it from the others and nearly dropped it when the crystal started to warm in his hand. As he watched a faint symbol appeared. He pulled out the other crystals and checked them. All six were doing the same thing and he realised he recognised them. They were gate symbols. Atlantis. It had to be. It had been the Ancient's last stronghold against the Wraith. It made sense that they would use it's gate address as a security code. A code that was invisible to all but someone with the ATA gene.

He quickly arranged the crystals in the correct order and slid them back into their slots. As soon as the last crystal slipped into place he heard a faint click and the door finally slid open to reveal a room that reminded him of the control room. There were several consoles lining the walls all facing the central console and the large screen that hung above it.

"At last," remarked Brille. "I was beginning to think you were willing to sacrifice the Doctor's life."

ooOoo

Brille smiled as he looked around the room. He didn't understand what any of the equipment did but he had no doubts that this was what he'd been striving for all these years. It had been too well guarded to be anything else.

"This is truly a marvellous day," remarked Brille. "My people have waited for far too long."

"I doubt the Ree-Tan would agree," replied John.

Brille spun round and glared at the Lantean. "The Ree-Tan are an abomination. They have killed many of my people in their sneak attacks. Many times we have tried to rid ourselves of them but still they survive."

"You invaded their world. What else did you expect them to do?" asked John.

"Nothing but Ree-Tan lies," replied Brille.

"It was one of your people who told us," replied John.

"Maran is nothing but a traitor. He is no longer welcome among my people."

"And what about your historians?" asked Elizabeth. "They told me the same thing. Are they all lying? Are they all traitors too?"

"Enough!" yelled Brille. "I will have no more of this. The Ree-Tan are a blight on this world and I will have them gone before night falls. "

He turned to face the male Lantean. "You will make this weapon work or watch Doctor Weir die a slow and painful death."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Aagh, where's Rodney and the others when you need them?


	42. Chapter 42

**Author's Note:** Thanks again to the wonderful Guest reviewer who continues to shower me with praise. A real Sparky lover I see. Don't worry the others haven't been forgotten. They will reappear but will it be in time to save the day. You'll have to read on to find out.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 42**

"How do I know you won't just kill her anyway once I give you what you want?" asked John. He already knew what Brille's answer would be but every minute he delayed gave him an extra minute to come up with a way out of this.

"You do not. You only have my promise of what will happen if you refuse," replied Brille.

John sighed. He didn't doubt that Brille would follow through on his threat. Nor did he doubt what the result would be if he did co-operate. They were screwed either way unless he could find a way for them to escape. Maybe the answer was somewhere in this room. He glanced around. There were a lot of consoles and not a clue as to what any of them did. No doubt Rodney could've told him but Rodney wasn't here. He wished he'd paid more attention to the scientist on their away missions. Maybe then he'd have a better idea where to start.

He took another look at the way the room was arranged. Everything faced towards the central console. Was it a master control unit? There was only one way to find out. He moved over to it glancing up at the panel that hung above. It was larger than the one on Atlantis but no doubt served the same purpose. He dropped his eyes to the control panel and sighed. The middle of the panel was dominated by a hexagonal shape filled with dozens of hexagonal buttons. It reminded him of the gate dialling device in the jumpers but this one held many more buttons. Like the dialling device every button bore a symbol. A rarity in itself for the Ancients but it wasn't much help as he didn't recognise any of the symbols.

He ignored them for the moment and continued his examination. To the right and left sat two gel-like pads just large enough for a hand. Just like the pad on the weapons chair and the device that held Arnyetta. Both of those acted as interfaces with the technology. Maybe the same was true here. Or maybe it was the final trigger. There was only one way to find out. He tentatively placed his right hand on the soft pad. It felt cool to touch but that was all he felt. There was no feedback like he got with the weapons chair. Maybe it required both hands. He placed his left hand on the other pad but still nothing happened. Maybe it no longer worked. It was a depressing thought but one he might have to face. He pushed the thought away. He wasn't ready to give up just yet.

He thought back over all of the devices McKay had gotten him switch on with his gene. Some had responded to his touch alone whilst others had required him to concentrate on turning them on. Maybe that was all he needed to do this time. His thoughts went back to Arnyetta and the machine that was her home. He kept his hands on the pads and closed his eyes. He concentrated on one single thought. On. Just power up, dammit.

It was nearly as hard as triggering the arbitrator had been. He suspected that the device had very little power left. He let out a shaky breath as he felt the device finally power up. John opened his eyes and almost closed them again as pain spiked through his head. Starting up the arbitrator had hurt too. At the time he'd thought it was just an accumulation of all the injuries he seemed to be collecting of late. But maybe it had more to do with his genetics. He had the ATA gene in bucket loads apparently but maybe there was something else the Ancients had that he didn't. Something that made operating this equipment less painful. He stuffed the thought aside as the large overhead panel flickered to life.

"What is that?" asked Brille moving closer.

John glanced up at the display. He'd seen enough examples to recognise its origins. "It's Ancient text but I have no idea what it says." He lowered his eyes and took another look at the hexagonal symbols. Nothing looked familiar. He wasn't even sure that the Dalerians were right. The device could easily have another purpose altogether.

"Doctor Weir?"

John looked up when she didn't answer. She looked pale under the artificial light and there were deep shadows under her eyes. The only colour left in her face came from a nasty bruise on her cheek and from the look of defiance in her eyes. That look alone told him that the Dalerians were right. This device was indeed a weapon.

ooOoo

Elizabeth stared at the Ancient display as it sprung to life. It was like watching a computer booting up. Text flowed rapidly across the screen. Too fast for her to catch any more than the odd word. She was a linguist not a computer technician and certainly not a weapons expert. Even so she recognised the Ancient word for diagnostic as it flashed by. It gave her some hope that maybe the device had been abandoned because it didn't work.

The text finally stopped scrolling and a single line of Ancient remained. She read it and her hope fled as she realised its implications.

She heard Brille ask John what it was. He would ask her next. She knew what would happen if she refused to reply but answering him would give him the confirmation he sought.

"Doctor Weir?"

She looked up and found Brille studying her.

"Don't tell him!" yelled John earning himself a blow to the stomach from Horan's weapon. It sent him to his knees and the overhead panel fell dim. A second blow from the weapon connected with his collarbone and he cried out in pain.

She wanted to close her eyes. Block out his suffering. But she couldn't. He was being punished for her decision. They were going to keep hitting him until she told them what they wanted to know. They were gambling that she wouldn't let it continue for long. A tear escaped as her heart broke. She couldn't give them what they wanted but she couldn't watch them slowly beat John to death either.

"It's requesting targeting parameters," replied Elizabeth quietly.

"Now that wasn't so hard was it, Doctor?" asked Brille.

ooOoo

The floor felt cool against his face. He liked it cool. It reminded him of Antarctica. His posting there was supposed to be a punishment for not following orders. Some punishment. He had flown helicopters nearly every day in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and nobody had shot at him. Well not until that day with O'Neill. The same day that he'd sat in that strange chair and his life was turned upside down yet again. He didn't regret it though. His only regret was letting Elizabeth come to Daleria.

John groaned as something nudged his arm causing the broken bones in his shoulder to scrape painfully against each other. Bile rose in his throat and it was all he could do not to vomit where he lay.

"Get up!"

He wanted to tell them to go to hell but he couldn't. Not yet. Not while Elizabeth was still in danger. He'd gotten her into this mess and it was up to him to get her out of it again. He gritted his teeth against the pain and slowly pushed himself up. He got as far as his knees before he had to stop to catch his breath. He nearly passed out when a hand wrapped itself around his injured arm and pulled him to his feet. He closed his eyes as the room started to spin and his stomach contents refused to stay where they belonged.

ooOoo

Horan grabbed the Lantean and hauled the man to his feet. He had no sympathy for him or the woman. Brille had been more than fair giving them plenty of opportunities to comply and plenty of warning as to what would happen if they did not. They had brought this on themselves. Why Horan could not understand. The woman bore the marks from her treatment by the Ree-Tan and even the male had been injured when Horan found them. He would have thought that they would be happy to help destroy the people responsible and not be so obstinate in their refusal. It made no sense but in the end it would not matter.

Horan ignored the puddle of vomit at his feet and shoved the Lantean forward. "Do as it says. Enter the targeting parameters."

ooOoo

Entering the targeting parameters was the last thing John wanted to do. Once he did that Brille would have no reason to keep either one of them alive. He had to find another way and find it quickly.

He bit back a groan as pain spiked through his shoulder when he tried to lift his left arm. It only confirmed what he'd already suspected. He'd heard something snap when the weapon butt connected heavily with his shoulder. He'd been too out of it from the first hit to make sense of it at the time. He wished he still was. He knew it would be better if he did this himself rather than waiting until the Dalerian did it for him. It was going to be painful though. Very painful. Hopefully he'd blackout and buy them some more time.

He gritted his teeth and used his right hand to lift his left into place on the console. He held on tight to the unit as his vision dimmed. He blinked to clear his eyes and slid his right hand into place. The panel overhead sprung back to life still showing the demanding line of text. The Dalerians wanted him to enter the parameters that would destroy the Ree-Tan. He couldn't do that. Elizabeth would never forgive him for destroying an entire race even if doing so would save her life. Another alternative came to mind. It was one of desperation but it was all he had. All he had to do was work out how to enter their current position and trigger the device. It would kill them all but what other choice did he have.

He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on the Ancient device. He wasn't sure if it would work. Most of the devices Rodney had him test provided no feedback. No insight as to what they were or how they worked. The most notable exception had been the weapons chair and he hoped the same would hold true here. It had freaked him out the first time he'd used it to fire up the drones and an image of the skies above Atlantis had popped into his head along with details of the approaching Wraith ships. Afterwards he'd realised that it made sense. How else was he supposed to guide the drones to their target if he had no idea where the target was? He figured that this weapon would be no different. He was counting on it.

He took a steadying breath and asked the device to show him a targeting map. It didn't take long to get a response but the image that formed wasn't what he'd expected. Whatever it was he was looking at it wasn't a map of the planet. He kept his surprise to himself and quickly scanned through the files looking for an answer. If he didn't enter some targeting data soon Brille would take it out on Elizabeth.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I really, really hope the rescue team arrive soon. I'm not sure that John can take much more of this.


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note:** You are most welcome dear Guest reviewer. Reading your reviews always bring a smile to my face and a hint of red to my cheeks.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 43**

It didn't concern Brille that the Lantean was injured. The man would be dead once the weapon had rid the Dalerians of their long-time enemy. His only concern was whether he had misjudged the amount of punishment the man could take and still be capable of completing the task. The man looked ready to collapse as he struggled to lift his left hand into place. With such determination he would have made a worthy addition to the Enforcer ranks.

A claxon suddenly sounded from somewhere nearby. His first thought was that it was something of the Lantean's doing but the man looked just as surprised as he was. "What is happening?"

ooOoo

John wondered the same thing just as another image flashed into his head in response to his question. He sent a mental command to the device to shut off the alarm and redirect the image to the panel over his head before he answered, "I'd say it's a perimeter alert." The outline of the tunnel was quite clear as was the large group of men emerging into the daylight at a run. Worry for his team gnawed at him as he stared at the screen. Something must have happened if the Ree-Tan had managed to make it all the way here. They were still thirty minutes or more away at the pace they were moving at. Hopefully it would be enough time for him to do what he had to without taking out any more lives than was absolutely necessary.

"Destroy them then destroy their settlement," demanded Brille.

John hesitated. It wouldn't do to appear too eager after all his earlier refusals. He needed Brille to believe he was getting just what he'd asked for. Brille reacted predictably pressing the tip of his weapon against Elizabeth's skull.

John sighed and dropped his head. He wished he could tell Elizabeth that he had a plan. Fear for herself or fear that he would give Brille what he wanted. He wasn't sure which one he was seeing in her eyes and it didn't really matter. Neither should be there but there was nothing he could do about that.

He pushed the image of her face from his mind and concentrated his thoughts on the folders the device had shown him. Each one was labelled with a number and what he recognised as an Ancient date. There were hundreds of them. Too many to check each one. He scrolled through them quickly until he arrived at the last few entries. Most of the entries bore completely different dates with the exception of the last four entries. These were all marked with the same date. He opened the first of the four and stared at the picture it contained. He quickly closed the file and opened the others from the same date to see three more familiar faces.

He thought back to the blue light that had passed over him as he was pushed into the building and understanding dawned. They had been scanned. It made sense. Even the Ancients would want a log of everyone accessing a weapon this powerful. He returned to Brille's file and looked at the data it contained. He wasn't a scientist but what he saw reminded him of something he'd seen before. Beckett had shown it to him in a bid to convince him that he was normal again. It had taken more than that to convince him there was no residual retrovirus in his system threatening to turn him back into a bug again. He hadn't understood the image Beckett had shown him but he did remember what he'd said it was. He didn't see how knowing Brille's DNA would help him set the machine's target.

He closed the files in disappointment. It wouldn't be long before Brille's suspicions grew. He needed to find a way to set the target parameters to his current location and take Brille out once and for all. He nearly jumped when the list of files disappeared from his head and were replaced with a single image. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised he finally had the answer he had been looking for.

ooOoo

Brille continued to watch the image of his enemy as they approached. He was looking forward to seeing their destruction after being such a nuisance to his people for so long. His people would see him as the strong and great leader that he truly was for finally delivering what so many of his forebears could not.

He glanced across at the Lantean. Why was he taking so long? Surely if he knew how to operate the Ancient device he would know how to enter a simple set of co-ordinates. His own people had mastered the skill of map making many generations ago. Long before they had ventured to this world. It could only be another of the Lantean's stalling tactics. It would be his last.

"What are you waiting for? Enter the parameters now!"

ooOoo

John's blood ran cold as he heard the familiar sound of a weapon being cocked ready for firing. He sent the final command to the device and looked up hoping desperately that he hadn't pushed his luck too far. Brille had the muzzle of his weapon jammed so hard against Elizabeth's forehead her head was tilted back at an awkward angle.

"It's done! I've set the first target as you wanted."

"What about the second target?" asked Brille.

"It only accepts one target at a time," replied John. It wasn't true but he didn't want Brille to know that.

Brille glanced at the panel and watched for a moment as the Ree-Tan continued to approach.

"Why hasn't it fired yet?"

"It needs a few minutes to build up the energy required." John sent a command to the device and all the lights flickered out for a moment before coming back on. The image on the panel disappeared and was replaced with a graph showing the gradual power build up and a countdown.

"Bring the other image back," demanded Brille.

"I would if I could but I don't know how," replied John.

Brille shifted his weapon slightly and fired just barely missing Elizabeth. "The next shot will not miss. Now bring the other image back."

John felt sick but he couldn't give in. His plan had no hope of working if he did. He would have to trust his instincts that told him Brille wouldn't kill the only thing that he thought was keeping John compliant.

"I don't know how," he repeated praying that Brille would believe him.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Has John gambled one too many times that Brille will believe him? Will Brille carry out his threat? And just what is John's plan? I bet the plot bunnies know.


	44. Chapter 44

**Author's Note:** Thanks again to my wonderful Guest reviewer. Your words and those of everyone who reviews makes writing so enjoyable.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 44**

Brille stared at the Lantean. He saw no defiance in the man's eyes. No sign he was lying. Even so Brille still wasn't sure if he could entirely trust the man. The image on the screen could mean anything and he could no longer see whether the Ree-Tan still approached or not. The one thing that he was sure about was the certainty that the Lantean would keep his promise if the woman was killed. Maybe it was true that the Lantean could not change the image being displayed. It didn't really matter. There was another way to find out if he was lying. And if he wasn't it would be a much more satisfying end for the Ree-Tan. Brille made his decision and lowered his weapon.

"Then we will return to the surface to view our enemies destruction," said Brille.

"But Sire you will be in great peril if he has lied," stated Horan.

"As will be Doctor Weir," replied Brille keeping his eyes on the Lantean. The man did not flinch. Nor did he look worried or close to panic. He must be telling the truth.

"Then why not wait until the weapon has fired?" asked Horan.

Brille smiled. "I wish to see the looks on their faces when they realise that we have won."

ooOoo

Elizabeth couldn't stop trembling. It wasn't the first time she'd been held at gun point. Hopefully it wouldn't be the last. She nearly laughed at that. Never would she have dreamt that she would wish to live so she had the chance of being a hostage again. But all the wishing in the world wasn't helping her one bit. It had to be nearly mid-morning. Plenty of time for John's team to deal with the Ree-Tan and track the Dalerians to the Ancient site. The view-screen should have shown the puddle-jumper closing in on their location not the Ree-Tan. No rescue was coming. Not this time. Common sense told her that it was bound to happen eventually. They'd travelled to a galaxy without the slightest idea what to expect and they'd spent the last eighteen months battling against the odds to survive. Survive they had but now their luck had finally run out. There was no way that John would give Brille what he wanted and once they reached the surface Brille would see that for himself. There would be no more delays. Only death for her and John.

ooOoo

John wanted nothing more than to rush to Elizabeth's side and comfort her. He could see she was shaken by Brille's actions. She wasn't the only one. He'd thought for a moment that he'd pushed his luck too far and lost the person who meant more to him than anyone else ever had. Even Nancy. He knew he still could if his plan went south. If he had another option he'd take it. Destroying a whole race didn't count as one in his book.

He watched Elizabeth as Brille dropped his weapon. Her trembling worried him. She had been through a lot over the last few days. Maybe too much. He'd seen enough battlefield action to know shock when he saw it and he saw it now. She needed this to be over and soon. Hopefully if his plans worked it would be.

Pain ripped through his shoulder as a hand grabbed his left arm and pulled him away from the device.

"Move!"

John barely heard Horan's words as his vision greyed and threatened to blink out altogether. Passing out would be a blessing but it wasn't really an option. Not yet. He fought to regain control and shove the pain aside as best he could. If everything worked out okay he could collapse later. If it didn't his current woes would be the least of his problems.

He sucked in another breath and his vision cleared. Elizabeth was watching him with a worried expression on her face. It was better than the blank, shocked look that had been there moments before but not by much. Not when he was the cause of her worry. He took another deep breath and mentally pulled himself together. He needed to be strong for her. At least until she was safe.

"I'm moving," replied John as he headed for the door. There was no benefit in delaying any longer. He needed the Dalerians on the surface. He just had to hope that he had enough reserve left in the tank to get them there and to carry out his plan. Anything less and he would be condemning Elizabeth and he couldn't allow that to happen. Not on his watch.

ooOoo

Brille had learned over the years to be patient. It was a necessity as he worked his way slowly from a position of no influence to one where he could sway the minds of those on the Council. Never once had he lost sight of his goal and it was that alone that had given him the strength to maintain his patience. Now that the pivotal moment was almost upon him his patience seemed illusory and his excitement was growing.

Horan still held his doubts as to the honesty of the Lantean. He could see that in the man's stance. But that was Horan's way and he hadn't seen the look in the Lantean's eyes when Brille had fired the weapon. The Lantean might be willing to bluff and bluster but when it all came down to it he wasn't willing to condemn the Doctor to an early demise to save the Ree-Tan.

Brille smiled to himself as he followed the others into the final transporter. He wished the other Councillors could be here to see this day themselves. It would truly be a momentous occasion and worthy of a celebration by his people. If the Lanteans had been more willing to co-operate then there would have been seats for them at his table. Now the only place reserved for Doctor Weir was a place in his chambers for as long as she amused him. As for the male. There would be no place for him.

He let his eyes roam down the body of the woman by his side. She was just the way he liked them. Slim with a few curves he couldn't wait to explore and a lot of spirit. It would be fun stripping back the layers and breaking her in. And break she would. Just like every other women he'd taken before her.

ooOoo

No-one spoke on the short journey back to the first level. John was grateful for the silence. It allowed him to concentrate on the device and the messages it was still sending him. He had never experienced anything like it before. The weapons chair gave him feedback and allowed him to target the drones but the connection never lasted beyond his time physically in the chair. Maybe it was a safety mechanism.

It didn't really matter why the Ancients had built it the way they did. What mattered was the information it was showing him. He could see a progress bar indicating how much longer it would take for the weapon to reach full charge. Below that was an image of a planet, spinning slowly, that he presumed was Daleria. It had to be for tracking the target once the weapon fired. He couldn't think of any other reason for its presence.

John focused his attention back on his surroundings as the transporter door opened. A not so gentle nudge in the back from Horan reinforced just how much he disliked the man. John led the way down the final passage arriving at their original entry point moments later. A new image appeared in his mind showing what he assumed was the area immediately surrounding the site. Movement at the edge of the image caught his attention. He nearly jumped when the view changed, zooming in on the cause of the movement. The Ree-Tan. They were closer than he thought they'd be. Close enough to be a problem but he couldn't worry about that just yet.

He turned his concentration to the door in front of him. It hadn't automatically opened and there was no door control anywhere to be seen. He sent a mental request hoping it wouldn't be as reluctant to respond as everything else had been. He'd told Horan before that the door and lights operated on movement sensors and so far they had taken him at his word. Too long a delay and Brille might start thinking there was another reason. He couldn't afford that happening. Brille had to believe that he was getting just what he'd asked for. Anything else and the whole plan would unravel faster than he could blink.

The door slowly slid aside and bright sunshine streamed in. The sudden change made his headache spike and he blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted. Horan pushed him forward and followed him outside. John stumbled and caught his balance as he sent a thought to keep the door open, hoping desperately that it would obey.

"The weapon has not fired yet?" asked Brille.

John turned and saw Brille standing just inside the Ancient doorway, Elizabeth by his side. Brille turned from watching the approaching Ree-Tan to look at John.

"It will," replied John feeling Elizabeth's eyes on him. He had no way of telling her what he was doing. What it was that he thought would happen next. This could all be one big final joke by the Pegasus galaxy courtesy of the Ancients. He hoped not but he couldn't really be sure. He'd been stung far too many times by the Ancients and their toys. It was time for things to start going his way for a change. Either way he would know soon enough whether his gamble had paid off or not.

He sent a mental request for a status update on the weapon hoping the connection still worked now that he was outside the structure. It took a moment but finally the image appeared. The progress bar crept across to fill the box and then winked out. It was quickly replaced with a message to indicate the firing sequence had commenced.

He didn't know what to expect. The device had given him no clues as to how it achieved its results or even what those results would be. He was pinning all his hopes, risking everything on nothing more than a guess.

He turned his attention to the approaching Ree-Tan. Even if he had guessed correctly they might not be out of danger. The Ree-Tan were moving much faster than he would've thought possible. A noise behind him grabbed his attention just as the device sent him another message. The weapon had launched. He watched as a red beam shot into the sky above the site. He followed it with his eyes but it was impossible to tell where the beam ended. Another message appeared. The device was searching for a match to its target parameters.

"Sire, look!"

John held his breath as Brille stepped into the open to see what Horan was pointing at. Brille kept Elizabeth close. Too close for his liking. John didn't think it was just her life at risk. He had seen the way Brille kept leering at her. He'd seen that look once before many years ago and had hoped to never see it again. With any luck Brille wouldn't be looking at any woman that way ever again.

ooOoo

Brille moved further away from the doorway as he studied the red light stretching into the sky. The light did not look harmful. It appeared to be nothing more than a beacon. "Is this a trick?" Brille spun round and glared at John. The Lantean would not get away with it if it was. Brille would make sure of that.

"No!"

Was the Lantean just stalling for time again as he had before? Brille glanced at the approaching Ree-Tan and made his decision. The Lantean had made his last mistake. He turned away and headed back toward the open doorway pulling Elizabeth with him. "Bring him."

The Ree-Tan would not be able to reach them inside the Ancestral building. He would be safe there. Others had known of his plans and would come for him when he failed to return. They would deal with the Ree-Tan just as he would deal with the Lantean. It was a shame really. He had been looking forward to his time alone with the Doctor. It had been a long time since a woman presented such beauty and strength but he would willingly sacrifice his desire to conquer her if it meant seeing the Lantean male suffer before he died. And suffer he would. Death could be quick or it could be slow and painful. He had mastered the skills of drawing out death many years ago. It would take the Doctor days to die if he so wished it. Forcing the Lantean to watch would be exquisite torture for him and it would be his own fault. In the end he would be begging for her death.

ooOoo

Elizabeth sensed the change in Brille and felt a deep dread form in the pit of her stomach. It grew when Brille turned and pulled her back toward the Ancient building.

"Bring him."

Elizabeth glanced back at John and caught the look of fear flash across his face before he noticed her watching him. It only confirmed her fears. This was it. There would be no rescue. Not this time. There were no more delays. No more bluffs. Only death.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh no, has John missed his last chance to save Weir? And will the others arrive before it's too late?


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay folks but rest assured the next few chapters are written and just awaiting a final polish before publishing. And you can all thank my Guest reviewer for setting the challenge for more angst, more Sparky and for more trouble in general. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 45**

Tyrev signalled his men to stop as the Ancestral site finally came into view. His men had done well to cover the distance so quickly after having already fought the enemy during the night. Jaymar would have been proud were he still with them. His death would be avenged before this day was out with the deaths of his enemy.

Darek joined Tyrev as he scanned the horizon looking for any signs of trouble. It would not take long to cover the remaining distance but it would be unwise to rush in without seeing what dangers lay in store. Five people may have entered the tunnels but that did not mean there were not many more waiting to ambush anyone who followed.

"They have already reached the weapon," remarked Darek.

"It would appear so," replied Tyrev. He continued to scan the area before returning his attention to the figures near the Ancestral building. "But while the Dalerians and Ree-Tan both draw breath the fight will not be over." Tyrev turned his attention to the man by his side. "Take some men and swing round to close in on them from the south. They will not be expecting an attack from two fronts."

Darek nodded his head in reply. Tyrev swung back to study the grey-haired rotund figure in the distance. Only one Dalerian matched that description. The most hated of his people. The one responsible for the current deprivations Tyrev's people found themselves in. Brille's death would mark a significant blow against the Dalerians. One that would only be outshone by gaining access to the weapon. Jaymar had failed in his attempts to convince the female prisoner to cooperate. His methods to use the other prisoners as leverage had not worked and Jaymar had shown his unwillingness to use more direct methods on a woman. Tyrev held no such qualms. He would do whatever was necessary to save his people.

A faint rumble from the Ancestral building cut across his thoughts and brought his attention back to the activity in the distance and the red light shooting up into the sky. It could only mean one thing. The Dalerians had succeeded where Jaymar had not but the Ree-Tan people had not survived this long by giving up so easily. While he still breathed there was still hope and he would continue to fight until the Gods that be decided otherwise.

"Time to move out. Double speed."

ooOoo

Fear ripped through John as he watched Brille pull Elizabeth away from him. Away from any chance John had of saving her. He held no illusions about what would come next. Brille would hurt her to punish him. Brille had been making that abundantly clear ever since Horan had delivered them to him the night before. He had failed and the realisation scared him more than he'd ever thought possible.

John felt eyes watching him and pulled himself together as he realised it was Elizabeth. He couldn't fall apart just yet. Not while Elizabeth still breathed. He focused his thoughts on the weapon. If he couldn't use it the way he'd planned then maybe there was another way. Maybe, just maybe he could set it to overload. It wouldn't stop Elizabeth's death but maybe it would save her from the torture Brille would put her through first. He would do anything to save her from that.

"Sire! The light! It is turning."

John released a breath as the device finally sent him the message he'd been waiting for. The device had finally acquired its target and begun a countdown to impact. One worry was gone and only a thousand more nibbled away at his confidence that he was doing the right thing. He couldn't let his doubts distract him if he wanted any chance at pulling this off.

"I told you it wasn't a trick." Something heavy slammed into John's back dropping him to his knees. He gasped for air as the pain radiated through his body. In hindsight it hadn't been the smartest thing to say. The last thing he really needed were more injuries to add to his growing collection but if his plan had any chance of working he needed to keep the Dalerians distracted.

ooOoo

"Sire! The light! It is turning."

Brille felt elation at Horan's words. He had waited so long for this moment and he was about to witness the result of all he had worked so hard to achieve. Today would go down in his people's history as a great day and he would be immortalised as the man that had finally delivered them their future.

Brille stepped back into the sunshine, dragging the Lantean woman with him and looked to the sky to see the weapon for himself. The growing red orb falling from the sky was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was a fitting colour, he thought, for a device that was designed to spill so much blood with a single blow.

"I told you it wasn't a trick."

Brille turned at the Lantean's words and watched as Horan sent the annoying man to his knees with a single blow. Horan raised his weapon ready to strike again. "Not yet, Horan. We still need him for the moment."

"Yes, Sire," replied Horan lowering his weapon.

Brille turned his attention to the woman by his side. She was still beautiful despite the bruises and exhaustion that marked her face. It would be a shame to deprive himself of her pleasures once this business was done. Defiant green eyes turned to lock with his sending a shiver of anticipation through his body. Perhaps he could still indulge himself before delivering his final punishment.

ooOoo

John closed his eyes against the pain and tried to concentrate on his breathing. It was proving harder than it should and he was fairly certain that last blow had broken one of his ribs. It was getting hard to tell which part of him hurt the most and it was getting harder to ignore his injuries. He needed to finish this and fast or he wouldn't be finishing anything at all.

He vaguely heard Brille's words and Horan's response before rough hands pulled him back to his feet and held him upright. He had no doubt that his usefulness to the Dalerians would only last as long as they thought he was giving them what they wanted.

He sucked in another steadying breath and opened his eyes to find Elizabeth watching him. It nearly broke his heart to see her look so worried and to be the cause. He wished again that there had been some way to tell her his plan but there hadn't been. Hopefully she would forgive him.

ooOoo

The sounds of the approaching Ree-Tan were getting louder as they grew closer. Horan looked in their direction and gauged how long it would take them to cover the remaining distance before glancing back at the glowing orb in the sky.

"Perhaps we should move closer to the building," stated Horan. In his judgement the Ree-Tan would be close indeed before the weapon struck. Maybe too close. He glanced at the man he held. Maybe that was what the Lantean was counting on. It would be suicidal but he had known many a soldier willing to die before giving his enemy what he wanted. Would the man be willing to sacrifice the life of the woman as well when he had fought so hard to rescue her? There was no way to know for sure but it was safer to assume that he would.

Brille nodded and moved a few steps closer to the building. He was still too far from safety in Horan's opinion but it would have to do. It did not pay to question the Councillor's judgement on even the most trivial of matters when it came to the Ancient weapon. This moment had been a long time coming and he doubted that Brille would allow anyone to force him to miss it even if it was for his own safety. Horan adjusted the grip on his weapon. The Ree-Tan outnumbered him considerably but he should be able to provide enough covering fire for Brille to reach the security of the Ancestral building.

ooOoo

Brille watched as the Ree-Tan ran toward their doom. It only confirmed what he thought of them. They were nothing more than filthy vermin, too stupid to even realise the danger they were in. His ancestors should have dealt with the problem when they first came to this world. Instead his forebears had assumed that the Ree-Tan people would accept being dominated by the new arrivals and would cause no trouble. They were wrong and now they were paying the price for such arrogance with the recent Ree-Tan incursions.

Brille looked upwards again. A red trail traced across the sky marking the path of object as it rapidly moved closer and closer to its target. It was an impressive sight. A true reflection of the power wielded by the Ancestors. Power that was now his. Pity that it would only last as long as the Lantean remained alive.

He frowned. Something was wrong.

ooOoo

John saw Brille frown and knew it was time to act. He stomped on Horan's left foot as hard as he could then spun to his right slamming his left knee into Horan's gut. It felt good to be fighting back for once. Horan's grip on John loosened and he took full advantage ignoring the complaints from his body. He only had one shot at this and he had to make it count. He pulled his good arm free and used it to deliver a blow to Horan's chin that snapped the Dalerian's head sideways. Another blow sent the man staggering back. A final kick knocked the weapon from Horan's hand and sent him crashing to the ground.

John turned to grab the fallen weapon and froze. Brille had one arm wrapped around Elizabeth's chest and a weapon pointed at her head. No way could he reach the weapon and fire off a shot before Brille killed Elizabeth. Doing nothing wasn't in his nature though so he considered his other options. The list was very short but top of that list was keeping Brille out in the open. There were too many hiding places inside the Ancient building and it wouldn't take long for Brille to work out that he'd been lied to when the movement sensors no longer worked and the door didn't automatically close. Searching for them without a life signs detector would take too long and the thought of Elizabeth being alone with Brille sickened and terrified him. He knew from past experience that death wasn't the worst thing that could happen to someone. Many would prefer it to what he was sure Brille had in store for Elizabeth. He had to stop that from happening at any cost. Even if it meant sacrificing the one he loved most.

ooOoo

Brille was angry. More angry than he could ever remember being. The Lantean had tricked him but he would have the last laugh. The Lantean would die knowing that he had not saved Doctor Weir.

It was only a few more steps to the Ancestral building and he would be safe. It was a pity about Horan. He had been a loyal supporter of his grand plan to destroy the Ree-Tan. There was nothing he could do for the man now. He had let the Lantean best him and he would pay the price just as the Lantean would.

He tightened his grip on the woman and smiled at the trembling he felt run through her body. She was right to fear him. This was not over. Others of her kind would come. Others that he was sure he could convince to fire the weapon if they wanted the woman back. In the meantime he would be safe inside the Ancestral building.

He took another step backwards and felt the wall behind him. He slid sideways searching for the opening. He could not have missed it by much. He glanced upwards and realised that the glowing orb had changed direction slightly and was heading straight for him. It made no sense unless… there was no time to think through what the Lantean had done. He had to get to safety before it was too late. He pulled the woman closer and sped up his search for the opening.

ooOoo

John didn't need to watch the object to see how close it was. The device was sending continuous updates on the rapidly dwindling distance to reach its target. Time was running out. Brille had nearly reached the doorway. If he didn't do something then Brille would reach the safety of the Ancient site before the weapon hit. There was one way to stop Brille. It would mean breaking a promise he'd made to himself, and to General O'Neill.

He locked eyes with Elizabeth as he sent the message that would seal all their fates and would probably break his heart. Now that he had found her he didn't think he could live without her. Hopefully he wouldn't have to but Pegasus had a habit of screwing with him just because it could.

ooOoo

Brille glanced to his left and saw only wall. He growled at his mistake and changed direction. It would be close but he still had time. The doorway could not be that far away. He glanced to his right and froze in sudden fear as he realised there would be no escape. All his plans had been for nothing thanks to the Lanteans. He may have lost the battle but he could still take pleasure in seeing the look on the man's face as he watched Doctor Weir die.

"Say goodbye to Doctor Weir!"

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh, oh! Brille sounded pretty serious. Will John really lose her this time or can he save the woman he so desperately loves? And no I haven't forgotten the Daedalus - they just have a lot of space to cover. Will they make it in time to save both John & Elizabeth? I sure hope so.


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's Note:** My Guest reviewer (MB) has yet again managed to make me blush and go 'Aw, shucks.' and has definitely earned a healthy dose of Sparky. Reviews always make us writers go all soft and gooey inside and there really is no better form of encouragement to keep us going. So thanks to all who've taken the time. And for those too shy to drop me a line, thanks for reading. The stats count also helps in keeping me motivated. Now read on before I get even mushier.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 46**

Time seemed to freeze as Brille's words reached him. John couldn't pull his focus away from the terrified green eyes that had locked onto his. She didn't deserve this. Nobody did. She'd placed her trust in him and he'd failed her. Failed her in the worst way possible and she was the one paying the price. Everyone had placed their trust in him. Allowing him to mount a rescue mission that he never should have been on in the first place. His emotions had been controlling him and he should have known better. He should have returned his team's trust and let them lead this mission without him. Maybe then Elizabeth would have been safe.

ooOoo

Elizabeth heard Brille's words and kept her eyes locked on John's. Guilt lurked in their depths confirming what she had already guessed. She wished she could tell him it was okay. Brille couldn't be allowed to escape and if her life was the price to be paid then she would pay it. She wished it was that easy though as she realised that John would blame himself for her death. It would haunt him just as the others had. He never said anything but she knew he still had nightmares about the choices he'd been forced to make since coming to the Pegasus galaxy.

She felt the weapon push against her temple as Brille released his hold on her.

"On your knees."

Pain shot through her neck as Brille pushed down on the weapon giving her no other choice but to do as he ordered. Movement behind John caught her eye and fear gripped her as she realised its significance. She might not survive this but John had to.

ooOoo

John saw Elizabeth's focus shift to his left just as a solid weight slammed into him from behind knocking him to the ground. He managed to twist his body as he fell and wrapped his foot behind Horan's leg pulling the Dalerian down with him.

Pain shot through John's injured shoulder as it hit the ground and his vision greyed. He felt Horan push against him and hit out blindly with his right fist. Pain shot up his wrist and he knew he'd connected with bone. He was still trapped under Horan's weight. He needed to change that fast if he wanted to end this fight in his favour.

ooOoo

Elizabeth watched in horror as Horan attacked John from behind. If was a fight John couldn't possibly win. Neither of them could she realised as the air around her took on a red glow. She glanced upwards and accepted her fate as it sped towards her and Brille. Time had finally run out

ooOoo

Horan was a big man. Nearly as big as Ronon and just as heavy. John's blow had dazed the man but it wouldn't be long before Horan shook that off and went on the attack again. John had moments only to shove Horan's almost dead weight off him if he was to have any chance of surviving. Not an easy task with one arm nearly useless. He pushed the thought aside. He couldn't afford to accept defeat. Not yet. Too much was at stake. He bit his lip against the pain as he used both hands to shove Horan aside and scrambled to his feet. He swayed for a moment as dizziness and gravity threatened to send him crashing back down again. He didn't have time to give in to his body's complaints.

A warning from the weapon flashed into his mind and he spun in time to see Brille engulfed in a red glow. The light pulsed and grew in intensity. There was no way to know exactly what it was doing to Brille and John couldn't be bothered to care. Not after what the man had put them both through. The man deserved to die for what he had done and what he'd been about to do. Maybe could still do John realised as he spotted the weapon held against Elizabeth's head. Nor did he like how close she was to the strange red light. Could it hurt too because she was so close? He had no idea and wasn't willing to take the risk. He had to get her away from Brille and back into the Ancient building before the Ree-Tan arrived.

He started forward and found himself falling. He vaguely heard someone scream his name as darkness threatened to steal him away. He fought against it as he tried to understand what had just happened.

ooOoo

Elizabeth drew in a shaky breath. Brille's weapon was still pressed against her skull but for the first time she had a tiny spark of hope. She was still alive. Surprisingly so but she'd take whatever luck she could.

She had watched as the red light approached and had expected to be destroyed by it along with Brille but that hadn't happened. Instead, as far as she could tell, Brille and his weapon were surrounded by a red glow. She dropped her eyes to look at John and found him looking at her. He looked ready to collapse and probably was. But he was alive and so was she and that was all that mattered.

He took a step toward her before tumbling forward. He hit the ground hard and didn't move. Movement caught her attention and she saw Horan pulling himself to his unsteady feet. Horan kept his focus on John's inert form as he aimed his weapon at the unprotected back.

"John! No!"

She had to stop Horan but how. She was too far away to rush him and what would that achieve. She wasn't trained to fight someone like Horan but she had to try. She couldn't let the Dalerian kill the man she loved without a fight.

ooOoo

Pain wracked his body. It radiated from somewhere low in his back and spread down his legs and up into his shoulders. It was threatening to send him to oblivion. It would be so easy just to give into it and escape the pain. But easy just wasn't his way. Nor was it Horan's it seemed. He would never have turned his back on the Dalerian if he'd thought he still posed a threat. Ronon would have his hide for making such a rookie mistake.

John heard movement behind him and knew time was short. He needed to move if he had any chance. He sucked in a breath and tensed his muscles as he rolled to the right. His body screamed in protest at the movement and his vision dimmed again. Something impacted the ground where he had lain showering him in dirt. He had to move or the next shot would find its target. He couldn't keep rolling out of the way. He needed to get to his feet.

He didn't rate his chances of success very highly but he had no chance if he didn't try. He braced himself for the pain and pushed himself up. He knew he'd lost when another impact sent him crashing backwards. It was all he could do to breathe and he doubted he'd be doing that for much longer.

Horan moved into his field of view with his weapon raised ready to fire and there wasn't anything John could do. Once he was dead Elizabeth would be next if she wasn't already. She was the only regret he had. She wasn't supposed to die. Not here and certainly not now.

ooOoo

Elizabeth looked on in horror as Horan took a second shot at John and missed. She had to do something. Anything. She couldn't just watch Horan kill the man she loved. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed for the only thing that would stop the Dalerian.

She barely paused at the sight of Brille frozen in the Ancient weapon's grip. She felt a warm tingling sensation brush over her skin as her hand passed into the red light and locked on Brille's weapon. The barrel felt hot against her skin as she pulled on it hoping it would slip from Brille's grip. It didn't though no matter how hard she pulled. She reached across with her other hand and tried to break Brille's hold, not caring how much damage she did to Brille's hand.

With a final tug she managed to pull the weapon free and swung round in time to see Horan standing over John. Without hesitation she took aim and squeezed the trigger. The recoil threw her arm backwards and she could only hope it hadn't ruined her aim.

ooOoo

John blinked in surprise as Horan collapsed blood pouring from a hole where his eye should have been. He hadn't expected a last minute reprieve. Not this time. Not that it mattered. He may have survived his encounter with the Dalerians but the Ree-Tan were only minutes away. He couldn't hope to defeat them out in the open. Not on his own.

ooOoo

She knew she should be horrified that she had just killed someone but she wasn't. Maybe that would come later if she survived. If they both survived. She gasped in shock as she dropped to her knees by John's side. She quickly took in the closed eyes, all too pale face and heavily blood stained shoulder and prayed she wasn't too late. She couldn't lose him. Not now.

"John!"

"'Lizbeth?"

Elizabeth sagged in relief at the sound of his voice. She truly thought she had lost him this time. She realised she still could if they stayed in the open. The Ree-Tan were close enough that she could hear them now. If they didn't do something quickly their reprieve would be all too short.

"Yes John." Pained eyes looked back at her and made her doubt her decision but it was the only option left to them. "John we need to move. The Ree-Tan will be here any minute. We need to get inside the Ancient site. Can you open the door?"

It was a long shot, she knew. She had no idea if he could open the door without using the Arbitrator device again and there was no time for that even assuming that John could stand long enough to complete the test a second time.

"I'll…try."

ooOoo

John closed his eyes. He had no idea if this would work. Closing the door was one thing but opening it again without using the Arbitrator could well prove impossible. He reached out with his mind and felt a faint but familiar presence respond. It was the same one that initiated the Arbitrator and didn't bode well for his chances of success. He knew he could pass the test again but he doubted they had the time for him to try.

He remembered the image of setting foot on Atlantis for the first time and his surprise when he'd felt its presence in his mind. It was the same image that the Arbitrator had latched onto just before it released him and opened the door. It was worth a try.

He directed his memories toward the faint presence in his mind and prayed it would be enough.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh, dear! Things are looking rather dire aren't they? At least they've gotten rid of one set of bad guys. Now can they get to safety before the Ree-Tan arrive or will John's team manage to get there in time? And just what is that red light doing to Brille? And should we care? The answers are coming.


	47. Chapter 47

**Author's Note:** MB you are far too kind but here is some more of your favourite couple.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 47**

She watched his eyes close and hoped he had the strength left to even attempt this. She hadn't forgotten how much effort it seemed to take for him to trigger the Arbitrator the first time. But there were no other options left. If they couldn't make it to the relative safety of the Ancient building then they were both as good as dead.

Elizabeth kept her left hand on John's giving what little support she could. She wished it was more. It was hard watching him as the lines of pain round his eyes deepened with his efforts. His face lost more colour and she wondered again if she had asked too much. Maybe it was time to accept defeat. She glanced down at the weapon she still held in her right hand. She had already taken one life with it. Could she take another?

"'Liz…beth?"

She looked up at the sound of his voice and found him watching her from half-closed eyes. She gave his hand a squeeze and glanced towards the building to see the open doorway. He'd done it. It was now or never. John was close to passing out and it would already be hard enough getting him to safety. It would be impossible if he passed out.

She sat back on her heels and pulled on his arm. "We need to move, John."

"Leave…me."

"No! I'm not leaving anyone behind. Not this time. You taught me that one, John. We both move or we both stay. The choice is yours." She held her breath as she watched her words sink in. He might be willing to sacrifice his life but she knew from bitter experience to what lengths he would go to protect someone else's.

"Fine…you win."

She wasted no time and pulled him to a sitting position before sliding in under his good arm and helping him to his feet. His weight sagged against her threatening to send them both back down to the ground. She wrapped her arm around him to steady him and felt him tense as her hand touched his back. She made a note to check it out once they reached safety. They had to reach it first and to do that she had to block her mind to John's injuries.

They only had to cover twenty feet but it felt like ten times that as the Ree-Tan bore down on their position. It was going to be close. Perhaps too close. Just reaching the doorway wasn't enough. If John couldn't close the door behind them they would still be in danger. She felt him stumble against her again as he battled to stay conscious. She tightened her grip on him and continued forward ignoring the object that thudded into the ground near her feet. Doing anything else was pointless. Sure she still had Brille's weapon but she could never hope to fight off the Ree-Tan single-handedly even if she knew how to shoot straight. Killing Horan had been a lucky fluke. Repeating it seemed unlikely. Her best option was still the safety of the Ancient site. Once inside they could simply wait it out until Atlantis sent another team as she knew they would.

She barely glanced at the figure to her right, still encased in a shell of red. She had no idea what it was doing to him and she didn't care. He had brought it on himself and deserved whatever he got. No-one had the right to destroy a race no matter how desperate they were to find a new home.

John stumbled again and it was all she could do to keep him from falling. "We're almost there."

"Liar."

It was barely above a whisper but she heard it. For once she was glad of his stubbornness. It was probably the only thing keeping him going at the moment. Normally it drove her crazy but right now she'd take whatever she could get if it kept him moving. "Am not."

"Are too."

She smiled at his response and adjusted her grip on him as she pulled him through the doorway. "Am not. We're inside." A soft blue light appeared and passed over her and John before winking out again. She remembered it from before and knew it was harmless unlike the sudden sting in her side that left her gasping. They needed to take shelter in case John couldn't close the door again. The transporter wasn't really much of an option since it didn't require the Ancient gene to operate. Not unless they could make it back down to the weapons room. It wasn't much but it was the best she had.

She didn't waste time explaining her plan to John. She needed him to focus his thoughts on staying upright and closing the entrance. Anything else she suspected would be beyond him in his current state. "John? Can you hear me?" She caught a mumbled reply too soft to make out but took it as an affirmative. If it wasn't they were both dead. "We need to close the entrance. Think you can manage that?" She felt him shift against her side as she continued to move them away from the opening. It was a risk to keep moving while he tried to concentrate on his task but it was even riskier to rely on his abilities at the moment. John was close to losing consciousness and she needed to make sure he was safe before that happened.

ooOoo

Tyrev glanced to his right without slowing his pace and spotted Darek and his men closing in on the far side. Neither he or Darek were making any attempts to hide their approach from the Dalerians. They simply did not have the time now that the red light had appeared in the sky. It may already be too late to save his people but he would at least do his best to avenge their death by taking the lives of the Dalerian leader and those who would help him.

He knew that all of his men were prepared to make the same sacrifice. The extermination of the invaders had for so long seemed to be impossible that many of his people had despaired of ever living in freedom like their forebears had once. Then Jaymar had dared to find a way over the Great Wall and everything had changed. Word had spread quickly among his people and the training had begun in earnest. Soon they were working on a safer passage beneath the wall and running raids against their captors. First they had stolen only supplies to help feed his people. But then they had grown bolder and started taking weapons, leaving nothing but bodies. It hadn't been without cost for his people but it had felt good to strike back at those that would steal his home. If he died today it would be a good death, filled with much honour. In the now and the afterlife.

Tyrev stopped in his tracks as the red light fell from the sky and struck the Dalerian leader enshrouding him in its glow. There were no flames, no explosion. Nothing happened that he would expect a weapon to do. That did not mean it was not a weapon. He had heard many tales as a young boy about the magical things the Ancestors could do. Things well beyond the understanding of his people but not beyond the understanding of the strangers. Nor beyond their will to use.

He broke into a run again reaching behind him for his own weapon. The strangers may have shown their dislike of the Dalerians but they could not be trusted to not do the same with the Ree-Tan.

"Ready your weapons," yelled Tyrev. "We will give them one warning. If they do not comply shoot to kill"

He loaded a bolt into the breach of his bow as he maintained his pace. It was a skill he had been teaching his men in readiness for a final battle with the Dalerians. He was confident that they would prevail now that the final battle had begun.

The distance between him and the strangers was rapidly closing when an opening appeared in the wall of the Ancestral building. They were close enough for him to see that at least one of the strangers appeared injured and required the support of the other to move. An injured target could be easy to capture or more dangerous. Given Jaymar's experience with the woman Tyrev tended to think the latter was more likely. There was only one way to be sure and he was just about to find out as he raced through the opening and found himself in a passageway. He turned and spotted the strangers approaching a dead end. A strange glowing panel adorned the wall behind them.

ooOoo

"Stay with me, John. We're almost at the transporter. Just a few more steps and we'll be safe."

"You said…that before. Leave me."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand and tightened her grip on his waist. "And I told you that's not happening. If you want to keep me safe you'll have to come with me."

"Stubborn."

Elizabeth smiled at his quiet reply. "That makes two of us. Hold on. We're here."

Elizabeth reluctantly slid her hand from his and waved it over the transporter control not waiting for the doors to fully open before she gripped John's hand again and helped him forward. They had barely stepped inside when a soft blue light reflected off the panel before disappearing again. She didn't need to see behind her to know what it meant. Someone else had followed them into the Ancient site. There was no more time to waste.

"Give me the gun."

He could barely stand even with her help. He'd never stay upright without it but the determination in his voice told her everything she needed to know. She passed him the gun and did her best to ignore the voice inside her head that was telling her they had just run out of luck.

John dropped his arm from her shoulder. "We're not dead yet."

"Stop. There is no escape."

Elizabeth froze. The man was right. Even if she risked selecting a destination the doors would take too long to close.

"Turn around slowly."

Elizabeth glanced at John and saw his bowed head. She released a slow breath as she realised they were right back where they had been earlier in the day. Only this time she didn't think John had the energy left to mount any kind of defence against the Ree-Tan.

"Hit the control panel when I tell you to," ordered John as he raised his head.

John spun round faster than she thought would've been possible given his injuries and opened fire. "Now."

She didn't need to be told twice. She selected their destination and turned in time to see the doors closing on two very angry Ree-Tan. No sooner had the doors closed they were opening again on the lower level and John stumbled into her as his balance failed him. She grabbed for him and quickly scanned him. She sighed with relief when she realised he hadn't gained any further injuries. Whatever energy he'd found to mount their defence seemed to be rapidly receding leaving him weaker than before. If she didn't get him to the weapon room soon they wouldn't be going anywhere at all.

"We need to move, John."

She slipped her hand around his waist again and helped guide him to the second transporter. His silence worried her but there wasn't time for her to do anything about it. It wouldn't take the Ree-Tan people long to work out how to operate the transporter. They needed to be as far away as possible when that happened. Safety lay in the number of rooms the Ree-Tan would have to search to find them. It would slow them down and maybe buy them the time they needed to find a way out of this mess.

Elizabeth glanced at the man by her side and prayed that he could hold on long enough for Atlantis to send another rescue team. If they ever made it out of this she'd make sure he took that long overdue holiday she'd spoken to him about all those weeks ago. He deserved some down time after everything he'd been through in the last few months. They all did but not everyone was always in the thick of things whenever trouble struck like John was. And it had struck often over the months since their arrival in the Pegasus galaxy.

"Penny…for your…thoughts."

Elizabeth realised that hooded hazel eyes were staring back at her and turned her attention back to the passageway. "Nothing important."

"Not…nothing," replied John.

She considered his words. His strength wouldn't last much longer. Maybe conversation would help, give him something to focus on. "I was thinking about that holiday we spoke about a while back. Have you thought about where you'd go?"

"Us."

Elizabeth remembered that part of the conversation and smiled at the memory. John had argued that she needed a holiday just as badly as he did. She'd given in only because she knew she'd never win when he was in one of his stubborn moods. The idea did sound nice but she doubted she could leave Atlantis for more than a few days and he deserved so much more than that. Her workload might be heavy but she didn't have to face the Wraith and whatever else the Pegasus galaxy threw at them at every turn like he did.

"Us…'lizbeth."

His words were softer than before but she heard them loud and clear. "Okay. Have you thought about where you'd like _us_ to go?"

Elizabeth swiped her hand over the control for the second transporter and guided John inside as she waited for his reply. A quick glance behind them showed a blessedly empty passageway. Just as the doors closed her eyes dropped to the floor and her blood ran cold. There right before her was a bright red trail of blood telling anyone following them exactly what path they'd taken. She could've kicked herself for her stupidity. She should have known they were leaving a trail. She closed her eyes and dropped her head as she continued to berate herself.

"Hawaii…or maybe…Australia."

His words were enough to pull her back. She drew in a deep breath and straightened her back. Now wasn't the time to give up. "Why those places?"

"Surfing."

She nearly laughed at his reply despite their current predicament. Only John could think of surfing at a time like this. "I can't surf."

"I'll teach…you."

She had no doubt he'd try if they ever got the chance. Hopefully he'd get that chance. "How about something a little less physical?" She adjusted her hold on him and heard his quiet grunt of pain confirming her fears that something was definitely wrong with his left side. It would have to wait until they reached the weapon room.

They turned left at the next junction and saw the final transporter at the same time that she could hear heavy footsteps echo through the passageway behind them. "We must hurry." She half-dragged him forward as she fought to outrun their pursuers. She waved her hand over the control and quickly selected their next destination without daring to look over her shoulder. If this was to be their final moment it would be better not to know.

She started breathing again as the door opened on the final level. She guided John through the open door into the weapons room. It was a relief to make it this far but they were far from safe. "John? I need you to close the door."

"'kay."

She kept her arm round his waist supporting him as best she could whilst she kept their only weapon aimed at the doorway. She risked a quick glance in his direction when nothing happened. His eyes were closed and the all too familiar lines of pain marred his face as he concentrated on his task. It was a lot to ask of him but there wasn't another choice. She turned her attention back to the door as she heard footsteps approaching. "You need to hurry, John."

She felt his trembling increase with the effort it was taking but finally the door started to slide into place just as someone ran around the corner and pointed a weapon in their direction. Her protective instincts took over and she fired her own weapon before John leaned more of his weight against her and forced her down. Something flew passed her head and hit the overhead panel showering them in glass.

The silence that followed seemed unnatural. She was expecting another projectile to follow the first only this one wouldn't miss. She brushed the hair from her eyes and stared at the now closed door before sagging backwards as relief washed over her. Given time the Ree-Tan might be able to override the door control but for now they were safe. She glanced across at John and her relief evaporated. Time was something John didn't have if she didn't do something quickly.

She gently eased herself out from under him and started checking his injuries doing her best not to jar his left shoulder any more than she had to. The shoulder wound was still losing blood and needed to be stopped before he lost too much. She grabbed the shoulder of John's shirt and held it tight as she pulled hard on the sleeve. It tore easily. She rolled it into a thick wad before slipping it inside his t-shirt and applying pressure to the wound. She felt his body tense against the pain before relaxing as he finally passed out.

She eased up on the pressure once he was out and quickly pulled up on his shoulder to check for an exit wound. She eased him back down when she didn't find one and reapplied the pressure until she was sure the bleeding was under control. She made quick work of his other sleeve before checking him for other injuries. She quickly found the second wound in his lower left back and the matching hole in the front. Tears threatened to fall as she worked, doing what she could and knowing that it wouldn't be enough unless help came soon.

"Stay with me, John. You have to stay with me."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Good on Weir for coming to John's rescue but can she keep him alive until help arrives? Or will the Ree-Tan break into the room first? Where is the Daedalus when it's really needed?


	48. Chapter 48

**Author's Note:** MB, Australia is definitely a great holiday spot for the pair but then I am slightly biased and if anyone can make Elizabeth do something silly it would definitely be John. Now for all the people wondering what happened to the rest of the team here is proof that I didn't forget them. Are they in time? Well you better get reading to find out.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 48**

Teyla made her way to the bridge reaching it just in time to see the planet come into view as they dropped out of hyperspace. At last the waiting was over. She was long accustomed to death and she might still lose her friends. It was not a thought she wished to dwell on. Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir had given her people renewed hope. Hope that there could be a future without the Wraith. It was a priceless gift and one she would do anything to repay in the only way she knew how.

"Start the scan," ordered Caldwell.

Teyla glanced sideways as air movement brushed against her skin and alerted her to the presence of another. Ronon stood by her side, eyes fixed on the planet below.

"We'll get them back."

His confidence was comforting even as she recognised it for what it was. She wasn't the only one with a debt to repay. "Yes we will." She hoped she was right. She had lost too many friends, she was not ready to lose another.

"McKay?" asked Caldwell.

"_Just a minute."_

Rodney's terse reply did not surprise her. Normally Colonel Sheppard would be the one who subtly managed his moods but in his place the task often fell to her. It was one sent to try her patience but she had learnt long ago that it was worth the effort.

"Rodney?"

"_Busy here."_

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Teyla.

ooOoo

Rodney checked the results on the monitor for the third time. It wasn't supposed to work this way. His genius should be able to solve any problem it met but this simply made no sense at all. Asgard technology was more than capable of beaming people past Atlantis's shield. It should easily handle a scan of the Ancient site on Daleria. There wasn't even a shield as far as he could tell. Something else had to be blocking the signal.

"_What seems to be the problem?" asked Teyla._

"I can't get any readings from inside the Ancient site," replied Rodney as he continued to work. "Try oscillating the frequencies."

"_Maybe they're not there," replied Caldwell. _

"Does no-one listen? I told you I can't get any readings. Not a one. It might as well be a solid lump of rock down there."

ooOoo

Rodney's words were not what she wanted to hear but they would overcome this obstacle in the same way that they had overcome all of the others. She was not ready to accept defeat just yet.

"Perhaps we would have more success on the planet's surface," she offered.

ooOoo

Rodney straightened. "Of course."

"_What Rodney?" asked Teyla._

"It's a cloak. Like we used to hide Atlantis from the Wraith." It all made sense. A cloak used far less energy than a shield and was almost as good. No-one would bother attacking an Ancient site if they didn't know it was there. "Meet me at the jumper."

"_But would you not have detected it before?" asked Teyla._

She was right of course. They wouldn't have detected the cloak since it would hide any energy signal as well but they would've noticed the absence of the Ancient site on the jumper's scans. "Not if it wasn't operating at the time."

"_Sheppard."_

Ronon was right. Sheppard was the only one on the planet capable of operating Ancient technology. He had to be inside the building. There was no other explanation. He swallowed as his thoughts raced ahead through all the possibilities. Each one worse than the one before. No way would his friend willingly help one race wipe out another. Sheppard would rather die first.

Rodney increased his pace and reached the jumper at the same time as the others. Franklin was already in the pilot's seat waiting for them as he dropped into the co-pilot's seat and did his best to not let his imagination runaway with him. It was bad enough worrying about his friends without imagining all of the horrible things that the Dalerians could be doing to them to make them co-operate. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"We'll get 'em back."

Rodney glanced back and saw the look of quiet confidence on Ronon's face. How he did that he didn't know but it helped. Ronon was just as determined and stubborn as Sheppard and had survived more than his own fair share of trouble. "I know." It hadn't come out with the same confidence as Ronon's words but it was the best he could do.

ooOoo

Elizabeth startled awake and immediately checked that the door to the room was still sealed tight before she turned her attention back to what had awoken her. Somewhere behind her one of the consoles was beeping incessantly. It might mean nothing at all but she doubted it. Alarms usually meant one thing and one thing only in her experience. Trouble. With a capital T.

She pushed herself to her feet and sought out the console responsible. It was unlikely she'd know what to do when she found it but doing nothing at all wasn't an option. She had to try. Maybe it would be like Atlantis where not everything required the Ancient gene to operate. She'd never regretted the choice not to take the gene therapy treatment. She'd never seen a good reason to try it before. Now she wished she had tried it anyway.

She stared at the flashing shape on the small monitor hoping the image might at least give her confirmation as to its cause but it didn't. Without some kind of label in Ancient she had no more idea now as to what it meant than she did before. She didn't even know how to turn off the annoying alarm.

"Help me up."

She spun round at the sound of John's voice and found him watching her. It was good to see his eyes again but he should be resting. She didn't need a medical degree to know he'd lost far too much blood. She only needed to look at the colour of his face, or the lack of it, to see that.

"'Lizbeth."

"No, John. You need to rest." Even as she said it she knew she'd eventually lose the argument. His protectiveness wouldn't allow him to rest while he thought there might be any danger to someone he felt honour bound to protect. Ignoring an alarm wasn't something he'd be willing to do with her here.

"I'm-"

"Don't! You're not fine, John." He was so very far from fine and it broke her heart to realise that she might really lose him this time.

"'Lizbeth."

Damn him. Why did he have to be so stubborn, so sacrificing? She remembered another time and place when he'd been willing to give his life in a desperate bid to destroy a Wraith ship. She'd let him go that time. It was the hardest decision she'd ever made and one she realised now that she would've regretted for the rest of her life had the Daedalus not arrived in time. Back then the fate of Earth had rested on her decision but not this time. This time it was only their own lives on the line and she wasn't willing to sacrifice his to save her own.

"Damn it!"

She blinked at his harsh words and realised that he had somehow managed to make it to his knees. She rushed to his side and steadied him. "John-"

"'Lizbeth…I have to. It's a…sensor alarm."

She remembered him telling Brille about a sensor alarm and seeing an image of the Ree-Tan on the overhead screen. It didn't make sense. Surely the alarm wouldn't trigger a second time for a threat that had already been detected and acknowledged, unless - could it be? Did she dare hope? She wasn't sure she could handle another disappointment. There had been far too many of those in the last few days. But ignoring it wasn't an option. Not if she was right. "Okay."

She slipped in under his good arm and helped pull him to his feet. He swayed drunkenly at the change in position almost sending them both back down again. She held on tight and managed to keep them both upright. They slowly shuffled their way across the room until they finally arrived at the console where a second flashing shape had joined the first.

She eased John's arm off her shoulder so he could do what he needed to but kept her arm around his waist. He was still unsteady on his feet despite having the console to lean on. She suspected that determination was the only thing keeping him going at the moment and even that wouldn't last forever.

ooOoo

John blinked to clear his vision as he tried to focus on the monitor. He doubted he'd be making it off this rock alive but he had to do everything he could to make sure Elizabeth did. She wouldn't be in this mess if he hadn't botched her rescue. There had to be a way to fix things. There had to be.

John studied the controls beside the monitor and silently cursed the Ancients again for their lack of useful labels to tell him what any of it did. He was reasonably certain that the panel only controlled this sensor array but there was no way to be sure without triggering random controls. Even his mental interface with the device was giving him no further information other than it already had. Somewhere above their heads a ship was parked in stationery orbit and another one was headed towards the planet. It had to be the Daedalus. It was the only thing that made any sense. A Wraith hive ship wouldn't send a lone dart. If he was right they could use the beaming technology. All he needed to do was to get a signal to them and tell them where they were.

His noticed the indentation in the panel and without any better ideas covered it with his hand. An image of the Daedalus appeared in his head along with a long list of the weaponry that it carried. It confirmed his guess at what had triggered the alarm. The Ancient site not only had ground sensors but it had spatial ones as well. Any approaching ship could be tracked from this console. Given that it was only listing the armaments for the Daedalus he assumed that it's non-Ancient origins marked it as a possible threat whereas the jumper was automatically deemed safe. With that thought he hoped that the weapon didn't have any automatic defensive mechanisms that would trigger if the alarm wasn't switched off.

He blinked at the silence that followed his last thought. Obviously the device had read his thoughts and acted on them. Pity it hadn't responded to his signal request.

"John?"

"It's the Daedalus," replied John closing his eyes against the worsening pain in his side.

"Then why haven't they beamed us out?"

"Ree-Tan." He hoped she understood his meaning. Breathing was already becoming hard enough. Talking at the same time was making it near impossible.

"We're just another pair of life signs. Can we get a signal to them?"

One of these consoles had to control communications but which one. He doubted he had the strength to try them all but maybe they'd get lucky. It was worth a try given the alternative. His men wouldn't hesitate in their attempts to find a way into the Ancient site but they had to get past the Ree-Tan first. He didn't doubt that they could but there had been enough casualties already. He didn't want anymore. Not today. "Maybe. Help me…over there."

He barely suppressed the groan as Elizabeth changed her grip on his waist and knocked his injury. She was already worried about him. He didn't need to confirm her worst fears. Not while he still had one last task to complete.

ooOoo

It had only taken a few steps to bring them to the next console but it had felt like a mile to him. It was impossible to hide the trembling in his legs. It had started after the first step and was only growing worse. He wasn't sure he could make it to another console if this one wasn't the one he was looking for. He silently prayed to anyone that would listen that he wouldn't need to. Surely he deserved to have things go his way for once after everything that this galaxy had thrown at him.

He sucked in air and concentrated on his task. Three rows of crystals covered the panel reminding him of the consoles in the gate-room. He'd already found two sensors and neither had looked like this device did. Maybe his luck _had_ changed. Or maybe he was about to blow them all to hell. The device could just as easily be another weapons console. Without McKay here to help him there was only one way to find out. Hopefully he wouldn't regret his decision.

He reached out and touched the left most crystal. His choice wasn't very scientific basing it purely on the fact that the left most crystal opened the comms line in Atlantis.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear we all know that bad things generally happen whenever John or Rodney use tech they don't understand. Will we see a repeat of that here? Or will they succeed in contacting the others? Only the plot bunnies know the answer to that and they're not sharing with me. Maybe they'll respond to a little bribery. Nope that didn't work.


	49. Chapter 49

**Author's Note:** Gosh, I'm almost too embarrassed to show my face again after another long delay between chapters. Hopefully you'll forgive me yet again. Thanks again to those who have left a review especially to my anonymous reviewer, your comments are always a joy to read.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 49**

Rodney tried to distract himself by concentrating on his data-pad. He knew from his studies of the jumper how the cloak worked to deflect light waves. The sensors and even their own eyes only detected objects by the light they reflected. Stop that light from reaching the object across the whole spectrum and the object would disappear from sight and sensors alike. Knowing that he should be able to use his not inconsiderable IQ to devise a way to see past the cloak.

"_Caldwell?"_

Rodney's head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. "Sheppard?" He took in the view outside the jumper and realised that they were hovering near the location of the Ancient site. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't even noticed. Dozens of angry-looking men were doing their best to gain access to the now visible site while a few poked at a lone figure encased in a glowing cylinder of some kind. Neither the Dalerians or the Ree-Tan possessed any technology much beyond the equivalent of the Middle Ages. It could only mean one thing. The weapon had been triggered. Somehow that didn't scare him as much as the sight of the Ree-Tan attacking the building. "Oh my god." The thought of having to get past the men with the sharp pointy objects to reach his friend triggered his self-preservation gene to go into hyper-drive before his brain finally kicked back into gear and he realised the significance of what he was seeing and hearing. "The cloak. Sheppard must've deactivated it." He quickly tapped the radio. "Caldwell, the cloak-".

"_Rodney?"_

Of course Sheppard would be able to hear him now that the cloak was down. "Stating the obvious as always. Of course it's me. Who else did you expect?"

"Rodney."

"_Teyla?"_

"Yes Colonel. Ronon is with us as well. Is Doctor Weir with you?"

"_I am. You need to hurry. John's hurt. Please tell me you can beam us out of here."_

"That shouldn't be a problem now that the cloak is down. Hang on a sec while we contact the Daedalus."

"Should they not already know?" asked Teyla.

Rodney paused at her words realising that she was right. Caldwell knew the location of the site and Rodney had left Hermiod and Novak still working on the problem of breaching the cloak. They would've noticed it straight away if it was no longer operating. It irked him that he hadn't thought of that himself. Atlantis could communicate with both the jumpers and the Daedalus even with the shield in place. The cloak was no different. It shouldn't have blocked the signal from the Ancient site. "Normally, yes. They must be using some kind of electronic jamming same as the Wraith hive ships." It was all very interesting and he'd love to have the opportunity to examine the technology without the threat of imminent death hanging over his head but there were more pressing matters. "Colonel I need you to shut off the controls for the cloak and jamming systems."

"_John's barely conscious, Rodney. Can you give us any idea what we're looking for?"_

"Not without access to the schematics."

"I say we blast our way in."

"Of course you would but then that would just let the bad guys in and we all know how that would end."

"Not if we get to them first," added Ronon.

"I would agree if there were not so many of them," replied Teyla. "If the Daedalus truly cannot hear their signal-"

"Then why can we? I know I've already asked myself that question. It must be something to do with it recognising the jumper as Ancient. The site must've picked up the Daedalus on the scanner."

"_It did, Rodney. Along with the jumper."_

It was heartening to know he was right but it didn't bring them any closer to a solution. Not unless he could use the jumper's systems to make a connection. "Give me a minute. I've got an idea."

"Elizabeth, what can ye tell me 'bout the Colonel's injuries?" asked Carson.

Rodney tuned out the conversation as he scrolled through the data on his data-pad. They had learnt a lot about the jumpers since they had arrived in Atlantis but there were still quite a few crystals which they had no idea what they controlled. Maybe one of those held the answer.

He made his way into the back section of the jumper and opened the cover to the main crystal bank. It wasn't entirely without risk but at least they weren't lodged in a space gate this time. He could still trigger a drive-pod overload but imminent death from lack of oxygen wasn't. The latter was too close to how he imagined drowning felt for him to ever be comfortable with as a method of death. Knowing his luck it was no doubt the death that awaited him. Hopefully it would be a long time into the future. The thought of his own death reminded him just whose death was much more likely if his idea didn't work.

He wished there was a quicker way to work his way through the connections but there wasn't. His best option was to be methodical. Any other approach only increased the chances that he'd miss a connection or test the same one multiple times. It didn't make it any less frustrating though. At least he was doing something even if it didn't seem like much. The others had nothing else to do but wait and he could hear how well that was working. Ronon had taken to pacing back and forth, hand on his blaster giving the impression that he was looking for something to shoot and he probably was. He tried to ignore the image that formed in his head as Ronon passed him yet again. "Do you mind? I'm trying to concentrate here and you're not helping."

"How much longer?" asked Ronon as he stopped in his tracks and stared at him.

Rodney paused in his work and looked at his teammate. "I'm halfway through but I'm not even sure this will work."

"It will," replied Ronon.

"And if it does not we will find another way," added Teyla from her position near the bulkhead.

Rodney was touched by their confidence in his skills. It hadn't always been like that especially not with Ronon. Those first few missions after the Satedan joined the team were probably best forgotten. He turned back to his task hoping that their faith in him would be enough.

He moved on to the next connection and watched the result on the data-pad. Another failure. Did the Ancients consider this technology so simple that a set of instructions on their workings was totally unnecessary? Back on Earth even the most basic technology seemed to come with an operating manual the size of War and Peace. For some reason they assumed that the operator new absolutely nothing including the idea that it was a good idea to read the manual before operating same said technology. Of course he never bothered to read them but then he'd yet to meet a piece of Earth technology that took him more than a few minutes to understand. He wished he could say the same of Ancient tech.

He tested another connection and glanced down at his data-pad expecting to see more of the same and stopped as Ancient text scrolled across the screen followed by a translation on the next line.

"It worked. I'm in."

"We never doubted you, Rodney," responded Teyla.

"I still have to find the controls for the cloak," replied Rodney. It could still take too long. He thought about how the information was structured on Atlantis and started a search for anything relating to security. The list was longer than he liked but probably wasn't that surprising given the nature of the Ancient site. He quickly dismissed the systems he easily recognised and concentrated on the ones that he didn't. Atlantis didn't have cloaking technology, a serious oversight in his opinion considering they'd built it into the jumpers.

He paused as the image on his screen changed and he recognised details he'd seen before when running diagnostics on the jumpers. He scrolled through the data and quickly realised he'd finally found what he was looking for. Now all he had to do was find out how to turn it off. Feeling more confident that his plan might actually work he continued searching for an icon he knew he'd recognise. It didn't take long to find and he selected it with a sense of triumph. He truly was the smartest man in two galaxies. Maybe more.

He tapped on his radio. "Colonel Caldwell, can you hear me?"

"_Doctor McKay? What's going on? We've been trying to contact you."_

"The Ancient site was cloaked. Obviously it extends beyond the building itself and blocked our signal as well. I've managed to shut it down so you should be able to pick up Sheppard and Weir's life signs and beam them out."

"_Hold on a moment," replied Caldwell._

More than a few moments passed before Caldwell was back on the radio.

"_There are four life signs inside the building and Hermiod tells me there is no way to tell them apart."_

"Can't you beam them all up and worry about who is who afterwards?" asked Rodney not caring what anyone thought of his outburst.

"_Look again, Colonel. I'll be the one pacing back and forth while the two of you continue to debate who to beam up. John can't wait that long. He needs medical attention now."_

Rodney took Caldwell's silence to mean compliance but nothing would surprise him with that man. The chip he carried on his shoulder from missing out on command of Atlantis to Sheppard was large enough for everyone to see. He suspected that Caldwell placed much of the blame at Elizabeth's feet. She had powerful friends and Caldwell no doubt knew that.

"Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard have been beamed to the infirmary. Return to the Daedalus."

Rodney sagged in relief, oblivious to the movement around him until a hand snagged his arm.

"You did well, Rodney," said Teyla.

ooOoo

Elizabeth found herself guided away from John's side as medics moved in and started the task of assessing his injuries. She didn't want to leave him but he needed them more than he needed her right now. John had passed out not long after they made contact with Rodney and he'd stayed that way ever since. She should have made him rest not let him move around operating the consoles. His wounds had started bleeding again and he had already lost far too much blood.

"He's crashing!"

She couldn't watch him die. Not now. Not ever. He meant far too much to her. She'd already known that before she'd gone to Daleria. Worrying about him when he went missing for two months had shown her that. But somehow the last twenty four hours had shown her just what she was willing to do to keep him safe. She'd give her own life before she was willing to see him lose his. A feeling she knew John reciprocated even if she only had Teyla's word for it that it was for the same reasons. Hopefully she'd get the chance to find out.

"He's back."

She nearly collapsed in relief at the medic's words and barely paid attention to the hands that guided her to a nearby gurney.

"He's in good hands, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth turned to see Keller standing by her side and wondered when she had appeared. "Jennifer."

"Let's get you checked out while Carson takes care of the Colonel."

She could only nod as everything started to fade away into darkness.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Thank goodness! They should all be safe now, right? Is that an evil plot bunny laugh I hear in the distance? Oh dear, now I'm worried.


	50. Chapter 50

**Author's Note:** **MB** I love reading your reviews – so don't hold back LOL – any the family is well thank you. **Csiaddict2002** apologies for causing withdrawal symptoms – hopefully the prognosis is better with the release of another chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 50**

Blood soaked her hands. It was John's blood. There was so much of it. Too much. She had to stop the bleeding but nothing she did made any difference. It bubbled up between her fingers slowly stealing her love from her. She was losing him all over again. Tears spilled from her eyes as she wept for him. "Don't leave me, John."

ooOoo

Dr Keller finished stitching the wound in Elizabeth's side and reached for a fresh dressing. Whatever caused the wound had sliced into the soft tissue deep enough to reach muscle. It would be sore for a while but no serious damage had been caused.

Elizabeth moved under her hands and began to mumble something Keller couldn't quite hear. She took her friend's hand in her own and leaned in close. "You're safe now, Elizabeth." Keller's words seemed to provide little comfort as Elizabeth continued to struggle with her dreams.

"Don't leave me, John," mumbled Elizabeth.

Keller caught the words this time and replied, "Elizabeth? Elizabeth you're safe. You're on the Daedalus and so is John."

ooOoo

The images from Elizabeth's dream were all to vivid in her mind making her question what was real and what wasn't leaving her with a sense of dread. She was almost too scared to ask the question that could crush her heart but she had to know. "How…how is he?"

"He's alive and Carson's working on keeping him that way."

"There was so much blood," mumbled Elizabeth. She could feel it on her hands. Warm and sticky. His blood. His life. Slipping away from her. "I..can't lose him." She wiped her hands on her clothes desperate to remove the reminder but she could still feel it. _Why won't it come off?_ She rubbed harder until hands caught hers and held her still.

"Elizabeth? Can you hear me? You're in shock. I'm going to give you a mild sedative. It won't knock you out, I promise. It'll just help calm you, okay?"

Elizabeth barely heard Keller's words as she stared at her hands. Was she going crazy? She could still feel his blood but her eyes were telling her a different story and she had no idea which one was telling the truth.

"Elizabeth?"

She reluctantly looked up and found Keller watching her.

"You're not going crazy, Elizabeth. It's a natural reaction to what you've been through. It may not seem like it right now but it will get better." Keller released Elizabeth's hands and picked up the syringe. "Now as I said this is just a mild sedative to help calm your nerves. Then if you're up to it there are a few people who'd like to see you otherwise just say the word and I'll tell them you're sleeping. Your call."

There was really only one face she wanted to see right now. She needed to see him with her own eyes to convince herself that he was still alive. Still with her. But that wasn't an option. Maybe a distraction was what she needed. Anything to stop the images of John taking his last breath flashing through her head.

"Elizabeth?"

"Sorry, yes I'd like that. I guess they're pretty worried too. Send them in."

Keller rested a hand on her arm and gave her a small smile. "No need to apologise. I'll go get them."

ooOoo

"How can he sleep?" asked Rodney.

Teyla glanced across at her sleeping friend before turning back to Rodney. "In battle one must sleep when the chance arises."

"Even when your friend is probably fighting for his life?"

"Even then."

Teyla looked up as she heard footsteps and spotted Doctor Keller approaching. She placed a hand on the arm of her sleeping friend and woke Ronon from his slumber. They were all tired and in need of food and sleep but no-one had been ready to go in search of either one without hearing about their friends first.

"Doctor Keller, how are they?" asked Teyla as she stood.

"Elizabeth will be fine with some rest. She has quite a collection of bumps and bruises, some of them a few days old. She also has a sprained wrist and a minor wound in her side that needed stitches. Nothing that won't mend. She's a little disoriented but that's to be expected with what she's been through. You can see her if you'd like."

"We would very much like that," replied Teyla with a smile. She had no doubt that Elizabeth would be changed by what she had endured. But she also had no doubts that she would recover and be stronger for it. Such was her nature.

"What about Sheppard?" asked Rodney.

Teyla watched the expression on Keller's face change and felt her own worries deepen.

"Carson is still trying to stabilize him. John's lost a lot of blood but he's a fighter. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything more."

"Thank you, Doctor," replied Teyla. It was not the news she had hoped to hear. She had seen John overcome many obstacles in the time that she had known him. Hopefully he would be able to overcome this one as well.

ooOoo

Elizabeth forced a small smile onto her face as Teyla led the rest of John's team in her direction. It really was good to see them after fearing that they were all dead. She ran her eyes over each of them in turn wanting to confirm for herself that none of them carried any injuries. She noticed a few scrapes and bruises but saw nothing to cause her further worry. She finally settled on Teyla as the Athosian stopped by the head of the bed and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It is good to have you back, Doctor Weir."

"Thank you, Teyla," replied Elizabeth doing her best to sound normal and wondering if it sounded as far from normal to the others as it did to her. She turned back to study Ronon as a memory flashed through her mind. She was in another room tied to a chair. Her cheek was burning where it had been hit. A hand tightened on her shoulder and she found herself back in the infirmary wondering what had just happened.

"Elizabeth?" asked Teyla.

"I thought you were dead," replied Elizabeth quietly. "All of you. I thought that was why you didn't come." She glimpsed guilt in Ronon's eyes before he looked away. Another memory assailed her. A memory of the big Satedan falling as another man stepped out of the shadows pointing a weapon at John. She wasn't the only one to notice his reaction she realised as Teyla spoke up.

"It was not your fault Ronon," stated Teyla.

"I let them get the drop on me."

"You were outnumbered," added Rodney.

"Doesn't matter."

"Now that's just nuts," replied Rodney.

She let their words wash over her as exhaustion threatened to pull her back down into darkness. She wasn't ready to give into it again. Not until she heard from Carson. Her future rested in his hands.

"Elizabeth?" asked Teyla.

Elizabeth looked up and found three pairs of eyes watching her with concern. She ran a shaky hand across her face, wiping away the moisture that threatened to fall and tried to pull herself together.

"I'm okay." She could see they didn't believe her and she couldn't blame them when she didn't believe it herself. Only one thing would make her okay again.

"Sheppard's tough," said Ronon.

"And stubborn," added Rodney.

She took a deep breath and nodded. They were both right, she knew that. She butted heads with John often enough to know how stubborn he could be. It had gotten him into trouble a time or two but it had also gotten him out of it. "I know."

ooOoo

Carson looked down at his patient watching the small rise and fall of his chest with each breath. It had been a close call. Closer than Carson really cared to admit. If truth be told his patient should be dead given the amount of blood he lost. _Stubborn bugger,_ thought Carson.

The Colonel wasn't out of trouble by any means but he had at least survived the surgery and that in itself was a miracle. Only time would tell if it was enough. Carson sighed. No doubt the others were still gathered in the main part of the infirmary waiting for news. It was an all too common ritual with the Colonel and his team. All too common indeed. Especially for John. It was only a few weeks since his last stint in the infirmary. His injuries had been serious then as well. It would make John's recovery all the more difficult this time around.

Carson wiped a hand across his forehead. It was hard work putting his friend back together so soon after the last time. Both physically and emotionally. He feared the day that his efforts wouldn't be enough. Hopefully that day was long into the future. He'd lost patients before. Every doctor did. It came with the job but losing friends wasn't something he'd considered when he signed on to the Atlantis expedition.

He let out a sigh as he turned away and went in search of the Colonel's team. Fate didn't always play fair but then neither did he. Not when it came to keeping his friends alive. He would do whatever was needed to make sure the Colonel recovered fully. Even if it meant ordering the man back to Earth. And he had just the right blackmail to ensure the man didn't argue with him.

Carson found John's team gathered around Elizabeth's bed. They turned as they heard him approach allowing him to get his first good look at Elizabeth. She had only been gone a few days but in that time she had lost weight. Add that to the probable dehydration, the definite beating, the exhaustion and the obvious worry for one Colonel and he had every reason to order her back to Earth as well. He had planned to anyway since she was his blackmail but now he had even more reason to see that it happened.

ooOoo

Elizabeth tightened her grip on the bed linen as she watched Carson approach. There had been so much blood. Nothing she did could stop the bleeding. It had stained her hands, his clothing and coated the floor where John had finally passed out. She had feared she would lose him before help arrived. She still might. She was almost too afraid to ask in case she heard the words she truly dreaded but she had to know. She just didn't know how she would survive if her worst fears came true.

"How…how is he?" asked Elizabeth.

"I won't lie to you, lass. He's in pretty bad shape but he made it through surgery and for the moment he's stable."

Elizabeth released her breath. It wasn't the news she was hoping for but at least John had a chance. It would have to do.

"May we see him?" asked Teyla.

Carson smiled. "Aye, once Marie has him settled."

ooOoo

Teyla stayed close by her side as she made her way to John's bed under her own steam. Carson had offered her the use of a wheelchair but she had turned him down. It was silly really but the thought of accepting angered her. She supposed it was just a reminder of all they had been put through. A reminder of what they had lost and could still lose. It was important to remember. She knew that but today wasn't the day to start. Today she just wanted to forget for a little while but one look at John's battered and pale face and she knew she wouldn't be forgetting for a long time to come.

Elizabeth moved to John's right side and covered his hand with her own. His right arm was dressed in fresh bandages from wrist to elbow. His left was also bandaged and strapped across his chest. More bandages were visible under his hospital top, appearing bright against his grey pallor. He looked so fragile, laying there so still, dark bruises marking the skin not wrapped in bandages. It wasn't a term she normally associated with John. It was heart-breaking to see him look so broken.

She wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. If she started crying she doubted she could stop and she didn't need anyone thinking she was broken too. John would make it. He had to. It had taken her a long time to realise what he meant to her. Now that she did she didn't plan on letting him go without a fight of her own.

Someone placed a chair beside her and she sank into it gratefully. Carson would argue with her she knew but she had no intentions of leaving John's side. Not until she knew he was going to be okay.

A hand touched her shoulder gently and she looked up to see Teyla watching her.

"John is strong and he has much to fight for."

"Thank you, Teyla," replied Elizabeth.

They meant well. They all did and she was grateful for that but it did little to alleviate her worries. She knew all too well how precarious life really was. How so easily she could still lose John despite Carson's efforts. It didn't bare thinking about but she couldn't think of anything else.

She had been no different when John had gone missing for two months. She had continued to do her job and sent teams out looking for answers whilst she slowly fell apart. She had eaten little and slept even less until Carson had threatened to sedate her. In the end John had found his own way home when nearly everyone else had given up on seeing him again. She hadn't given up then and she wouldn't give up now but ultimately it wasn't up to her and that was what worried her.

**TBC**

**A/N:** You didn't think it would all be rosy once the Daedalus beamed them out did you? This chapter was supposed to be an epilogue but the plot bunnies stamped their feet and threw a few evil glares my way. Needless to say I gave in and the chapters to come are their fault, not mine.


	51. Chapter 51

**Author's Note:** MB – Thanks again for dropping by. All reviews are gratefully accepted (hint, hint). Please forgive any mistakes of a medical nature. I did do some research but hey, I'm not doctor and it probably shows.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 51**

Carson looked over Jennifer's notes as he approached the Colonel's bed. Nothing much had changed while he'd caught up on a little sleep. John's blood pressure was still low. Not surprising given the amount of blood he'd lost. His temperature was elevated. Again not that surprising even with a flood of antibiotics floating through his patient's system. Everything indicated John was stable and holding his own. A miracle given the state he'd first seen him in and that's what worried him. Nothing was ever easy with John. The Daedalus carried a small arsenal of medical equipment but none of it was as sophisticated as the Ancient technology. He'd be much happier once they reached Atlantis and he could use the Ancient scanner to make sure there was nothing he had missed.

Carson lowered the pad and studied the scene before him. It was another thing that didn't surprise him. Elizabeth was just as stubborn as the man whose hand she was currently using as a pillow. Of course he could wake her and send her to her own bed to sleep but it would be futile and he knew it. She wouldn't be able to sleep. Not in her own bed. Not until she knew John was going to be alright. Not unless he drugged her. It was easier all round just to let her stay where she was even if he didn't like it.

Carson switched his attention to John. The man had more bruises, broken bones and puncture wounds than any one man should ever have at one time. Lorne had been found in much the same condition but it had taken him a few days to get that way. Sheppard had managed to collect his latest injuries in less than twenty four hours. Carson had sworn an oath to do no harm but right now he couldn't help feeling that the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians deserved each other. Or least their leaders did.

Carson sighed and started his checks being careful not to wake Elizabeth. He noted the third increase in John's temperature in as many hours and let out another soft sigh. Just once he'd like to be proven wrong. When he'd joined the expedition he'd known then that the biggest threat they faced was also likely to be the smallest. Of course back then he hadn't known about the Wraith but he had expected to find alien bacteria and he had. So far their Earth antibiotics had worked well but that didn't mean they always would.

He increased John's dosage and made a notation on his chart. He'd give the drug a little longer to take effect before trying something else. He wasn't out of options yet and he'd try every one of them and everything he could find in the Ancient's database if that's what it took.

"How's he doing?" asked a sleepy voice.

"Elizabeth, luv. I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't," replied Elizabeth.

"Bad dream?"

Elizabeth nodded before repeating her question. "How is he really, Carson?"

Carson wished he could give her better news. It was obvious that the last few days had taken a heavy toll and not just physically. The last thing he wanted to do was to add to her burden but he also knew she wouldn't appreciate hearing anything but the truth from him. He took a deep breath and started explaining John's condition to her.

ooOoo

Elizabeth studied John. He'd come to mean so much to her. More than she would've thought possible. Love had never frightened her before but it did now. Going back to sleep had been impossible after Carson had told her John was getting sicker. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to happen at all.

"You have to fight this John. Fight it and come back to me."

She brushed the damp hair off his forehead and felt the heat radiating off him. Carson had switched to another antibiotic an hour ago. Only time would tell if this one worked any better than the last one.

ooOoo

Elizabeth dreaded the hourly checks as each time Carson reported no change in the slowly upward trend of John's fever. Another one was due shortly and she feared Carson's answer would be no different from the last. She was losing the man she loved and all she could do was watch him slip away.

Carson came and went bringing her the news she didn't want to hear. Moments later he was back with a cooling blanket and she helped him drape it across John's overheating body.

"You should try and get some rest, lass."

"I don't think I can. Not now." She was too scared. Scared she would sleep and John would be gone when she woke. Scared that Carson would force her to sleep for her own good when all she wanted to do was stay by John's side till he found his way back to her. "Maybe later."

"Aye, later."

Carson left her alone again and she returned to her vigil. Not for the first time she realised how alone she felt. It wasn't a feeling she'd chosen to dwell upon. She'd chosen this path knowing what it might mean for her relationship with Simon. She should have realised then that she didn't love the man as much as she thought she did. Maybe leaving him a video message should have told her that. Instead it had taken her break up and nearly three weeks on the Daedalus to come to that conclusion.

She'd felt alone then too. She'd taken to late night visits to the mess when her thoughts wouldn't let her sleep. John had joined her one night saying he couldn't sleep either. She'd never told him about Simon but after that first night she was never alone. He'd been a good friend when she needed one the most. Now she realised maybe it had been more than friendship even then.

She didn't regret her choice. Far from it. How could she when her choices had led her to meet John.

ooOoo

Carson scrubbed a hand over his face. It had been a long night and there was still no sign that his patient was improving. The cooling blanket bought them a little time but John's temperature continued to climb. There were other options Carson could try but time was proving to be his biggest enemy. If he couldn't get John's temperature down soon there was the very real risk of seizures.

He looked at his list of options again and made his choice. Time would tell if it was the right one. Maybe John would forgive him if it was. Clindamyacin was never his first choice when treating a patient. It was strong but it came with some seriously nasty side effects. Side effects that John could well do without. John already had enough to deal with without adding severe diarrhoea to the list.

The other options on his list weren't much better. Not at the dosage levels he needed to use. He would've tried them all before Clindamyacin though. He knew from experience how John reacted to it and would've done anything to avoid using it on him again. But it really was his best hope and there wasn't time to try anything else.

Carson gathered what he needed and headed back to his patient. It didn't surprise him to see Elizabeth asleep by John's side again. He'd known it would be only a matter of time before the exhaustion pulled her into sleep. She'd be sore when she woke but he wasn't about to wake her now just to save her a sore back later. He knew all too well that she'd refuse to move once she was awake. No, it was better to leave her sleeping while she could.

Carson swapped out the saline solution quietly and started the new treatment. He would need to monitor John more closely on the new drug and treat any side effects as they occurred but hopefully it would do the trick.

ooOoo

The others were already there when Rodney entered the mess. They looked just as awful as he felt after trying to sleep and failing miserably. Back on Atlantis they would never have allowed themselves to be kicked out of the infirmary when one of their own was fighting to survive. But Carson had threatened them all with his vast array of sharp pointy objects if they didn't leave the already cramped space to those who really needed it. Space was a luxury on a spaceship and it was no different in the infirmary.

Despite the threats he planned to go back there but first he needed a strong cup of whatever rubbish they called coffee. The stuff tasted awful but it had the requisite amount of caffeine that his system needed to function and that was all that mattered.

He poured himself a mugful and made his way over to the others. "Any word from Carson?"

"No," replied Ronon around a mouthful of food.

"That's good news, right? I mean if things had gotten worse Carson would've told us. He wouldn't let Sheppard die without telling us." He knew he was rambling. He always did when he was nervous or worried. He couldn't help it.

Teyla looked at Ronon before taking a breath and turning her attention back to Rodney. "He would not. As he would not object to our visiting John for a few minutes."

"Right." Of course she was. He knew that. Didn't stop him worrying though. He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced at its acrid taste. He should be used to it by now since he'd drunk enough of the stuff since boarding the Daedalus yesterday.

He continued his drink in silence. The others were just as worried as he was and no-one really felt like small talk. They all had just one person on their minds. Rodney glanced into his cup, surprised that he'd finished it and not even noticed. One cup didn't go anywhere near overcoming his lack of sleep but it would have to do for now. He'd wasted enough time. Time that maybe Sheppard didn't have.

ooOoo

Caldwell watched as Sheppard's team left the mess together. They were an odd looking bunch but he'd seen enough of the reports to know they made a good team. He'd even admit that Sheppard had the makings of a good leader but he'd made a few mistakes this time and he suspected he knew why. He couldn't prove anything though and he doubted anyone on Atlantis would tell him anything to change that. It was no great secret that he had wanted the Atlantis command. That alone was enough to make him public enemy number one amongst some of the expedition.

He finished his own drink and pushed to his feet. He'd get an update from the Doctor later. Right now he had a ship to run. They'd be reaching Atlantis shortly and the way things looked he might be staying for a little longer this time with both Sheppard and his 2IC down for the count. Even Doctor Weir didn't look much better when he'd stopped by the infirmary earlier.

Caldwell made his way back to the bridge and settled in to oversee their arrival. He'd been ferrying the Daedalus back and forth for a few months already but dropping out of hyperspace to see a planet from space never grew old. He'd always considered the posting as second prize but as things went it wasn't a bad second prize.

He ordered the drop-out from hyperspace fifteen minutes out trusting his crew to automatically scan for threats. He kept his eyes on the view-port as hyperspace gave way to a blue planet not unlike Earth. There was more water and less land but from up here the similarity was striking.

"Open a channel," ordered Caldwell.

"Channel established, sir."

"Atlantis, this is Colonel Caldwell of the Daedalus."

"Colonel, Major Henderson here. We've been expecting you. Can I assume that your arrival means that you have Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard?"

"You can, Major. We'll be beaming them direct to the infirmary along with Beckett and Keller. We'll unload everyone else on the east pier."

"Yes sir. I'll alert the infirmary."

OoOoo

Carson was grateful to be back in Atlantis. The Daedalus was well equipped but he'd grown used to working with the Ancient technology. His feet had barely rematerialized when he had ordered a series of scans. He was staring at the results now wondering if there was anything he'd missed but nothing stared back at him that he didn't already know. Broken collarbone, broken ribs, punctured lung, soft tissue damage from two projectiles, slight brain swelling from the concussion and minor residual internal bleeding from the beating the man had taken. It was a long enough list but it wasn't what worried him the most.

Jennifer joined him and looked over the scan results before turning her attention to him. "His temperature's up 0.5. I'm going to start looking through the Ancient database. They must've encountered this bacteria before."

"_Doctor, he's seizing!"_

"Damn!" This wasn't a fight he was prepared to lose.

"I'll go," offered Keller.

"No, I'll go. Check the database." He grabbed the lorazepem as he rushed to his patient's side. The seizure wasn't unexpected with a fever this high. The lorazepem would control the seizures for several hours but he had hoped to avoid them altogether. Like the cooling blanket, the drug would buy them some more time but it wasn't a solution.

John's seizure slowly eased and Carson breathed a sigh of relief. Seizures were never easy to witness especially when it was a friend. He looked up and noticed Elizabeth frozen in place, staring at John in fear. He moved to her side and guided her back to a nearby chair.

"What…what happened?"

"He had a seizure. It's a side effect of his fever. I've given him something that should stop the seizures and buy us some time. We haven't given up, Elizabeth."

"I know Carson and I'm grateful for that. It's just he's been through so much."

"Aye he has."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh dear, John isn't having a good day is he? I don't know about you but I'm seriously worried.


	52. Chapter 52

**Author's Note:** MB – Our Labor Day is in October and celebrates the union movement getting agreement on an 8 hour working day. Hope you enjoyed yours and can forgive me for not publishing a chapter yesterday. It was Father's Day here. Anyway there be more of what you want in this here chapter so hopefully you like it. And to my other guest reviewer – I am cruel aren't I? Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 52**

Caldwell left his crew to manage the unloading of the supplies and headed for the infirmary. It was protocol to report to Doctor Weir before he set himself up as the acting head of the military on Atlantis and he was a by the book kind of guy. Technically he didn't need her approval. He doubted Weir was in a fit state herself to be in charge but it was better to report to her first if he wanted her on his side.

He spotted Elizabeth sat by Sheppard's side looking worse than when she was first rescued. Dark shadows underlined her eyes adding to the collection of bruises that marked her face and arms. He didn't think she'd gotten much sleep since she was picked up and he suspected the unconscious man was the reason why. It was obvious the pair were close. Too close maybe. It certainly would explain Sheppard's mistakes and why Weir was sat by Sheppard's side when she should be resting in her own bed. Now wasn't the time to broach that subject with her though. There would be time enough for that later if Sheppard survived.

Sitting on the other side of the bed were the rest of Sheppard's team. He'd known they'd be here. He'd counted on it. Leadership wasn't the only issue on his mind at the moment. There was another very important topic he needed to raise. A topic that no-one else seemed interested in discussing whilst Sheppard lay at death's door. But it was a topic he felt couldn't wait.

"Doctor Weir we need to talk," said Caldwell.

Rodney snorted. "Let me guess. You want to go back for the weapon."

"Yes I do," replied Caldwell. "You said it yourself. We could really use a weapon capable of destroying the Wraith."

"Can this not wait?" asked Teyla.

"He's right," replied Elizabeth.

"He is?" asked Rodney in surprise.

"Yes, Rodney. He is. Both the Ree-Tan and the Dalerians believe that it can be used to destroy a race. That belief had to come from somewhere."

"You think the Ancients told them," replied Rodney.

"I do."

"But did Maran not say that his people have only been on Daleria for a few hundred years?" asked Teyla.

"Maran?" asked Elizabeth.

"Him," replied Ronon pointing to the far end of the infirmary.

Caldwell turned and saw a dark-haired man with his arm in a sling and fast asleep. "You have a Dalerian on Atlantis?"

"Long story," replied Rodney. "Teyla's right. The Dalerians weren't on the planet at the same time as the Ancients and it's not like they could read Ancient."

"The Ree-Tan told them," inserted Ronon.

"How they knew isn't important," replied Caldwell. "We need that device."

"What? So we just go back and take it?" asked Rodney.

"Yes," replied Ronon and Caldwell in unison.

"We don't know how big it is or how it is powered or even what it does and that doesn't even begin to take into account the minor detail of the angry locals. Two of which we left inside, armed and no doubt very angry."

"All the more reason to go back," replied Elizabeth. "We can't leave it active. If we can't retrieve it we have to destroy it so no-one else can use it."

"I agree," added Caldwell. "The Daedalus will be ready to go as soon as unloading has finished."

"Great. No rest for the scientist," replied Rodney.

"You can sleep on board," replied Caldwell. "If you'll excuse me, I have a ship to get ready."

"Thank you Colonel," replied Elizabeth.

ooOoo

Elizabeth watched Caldwell leave before turning her attention back to the others. She caught Rodney staring at John and imagined he wasn't all that happy at being asked to leave his friend's side at the moment. She couldn't blame him. Not when it was the last thing she wanted to do as well. But this couldn't wait and there was simply no other option.

"I'm sorry Rodney. I know you'd rather stay with John."

"Yes…well. I…um…I need to get going. Equipment to get ready, ancient devices to steal. The usual really."

She watched as Rodney stumbled through his reply and used humour to deflect his feelings. She was used to it and wasn't about to make his discomfort worse by pointing out that his attempt was doing the opposite. If Rodney wanted to pretend he wasn't hurting she wasn't going to stop him. After all she'd been guilty of the same thing not so long ago. It might not be healthy but some days it was the only way to keep going.

"Stay safe." If only words could really keep him safe. She had stopped more than one conflict with her negotiating skills but they were way beyond that now. Neither race on Daleria was likely to listen to anything they had to say at the moment and taking the weapon wouldn't make it any better. She sighed at the thought they were adding to their list of people best avoided.

"I'll go with him," offered Ronon before turning to follow Rodney.

"As will I," added Teyla.

"Thank you," replied Elizabeth. She didn't like sending any of them back to that planet not after everything that had happened. They'd lost far too many good people since coming to Atlantis. She wasn't ready to lose any more. She turned her attention to the unconscious man by her side and took his hand in hers again. Losing the others had been hard to bare but losing him could well prove impossible. She hoped fervently that it wouldn't come to that. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Teyla watching her.

"He _will_ overcome this and when he does you _must_ tell him how you feel."

ooOoo

Carson checked his watch and noticed another thirty minutes had passed. It was time to check on the Colonel again. So far their search of the Ancient database had done nothing to help identify the bacteria. It was possible that what they were dealing with had mutated enough in the ten thousand years since the Ancient's had left to be unrecognisable. If that was the case they might never find an answer but they weren't there yet. He had to believe they would find the answer.

"Time to check our patients again," announced Carson as he stood and stretched the kinks out of his back.

"Need a hand?" asked Jennifer looking up from her computer screen.

He could see she looked as tired as he felt but she was just as stubborn too and wasn't likely to take a break even if he ordered her to. A couple of minutes away from their computers wouldn't likely make a difference. Not to the results of their search anyway.

"Aye. I'll take the Colonel. See if you can convince Elizabeth to sleep in a bed."

"I'll try," replied Jennifer.

Carson knew he had the easier task, at least his patient wasn't in a position to argue with him. Unlike Jennifer's. He left her to deal with Elizabeth while he concentrated on checking John's vitals. He was glad to see there was still no sign of the expected diarrhoea. It was a small mercy and he knew it would likely be short-lived. There was no change in John's temperature but he hadn't really expected there to be so soon after starting the new treatment. It would be a few hours yet before they noticed any appreciable change if there was any at all and by then the drugs side-effects would probably be making themselves known. He prayed the Clindamyacin would do its job and that he hadn't just added to his patient's problems with his choice.

"I promise, Elizabeth."

Jennifer's words caught his attention and he looked across to see Elizabeth slipping under the covers of the next bed.

"Any change-"

"And I'll wake you. You have my word. This will just help you relax enough to sleep," replied Jennifer as she prepared a syringe.

Carson smiled his first smile for what felt like days. He would have to ask Jennifer how she'd convinced the stubborn woman to finally sleep in a bed. He hadn't heard any raised voices or threats of sharp pointy objects like he often used on Rodney or John. Whatever she had said it was getting the job done and Elizabeth would feel so much better for a proper rest.

He turned his attention back to John. He pulled back the cooling blanket and replaced the cool packs with fresh ones. They seemed to be the only thing keeping the Colonel's fever from worsening. Carson slid the cooling blanket back into place and patted his friend's uninjured shoulder more for his own comfort before heading back to his research.

Jennifer was already there scrolling through images of different bacteria looking for one that matched the image from the microscope. She glanced up when she heard him drop into his own seat.

"Elizabeth isn't the only one in need of some sleep. You look beat, Carson."

"I'm okay."

"If you say so," replied Jennifer returning her attention to the monitor.

"I think we need to expand our search."

"How? We're already looking at every bacteria in the Ancient database," replied Jennifer looking up again.

"But we're only looking in the one database. Colonel Sheppard and his team brought back another one a few months ago."

"The one with the holographic interface?"

"Aye. Rodney said somethin' about the data being different. It might be a long shot but it's worth a try."

ooOoo

Rodney looked at his watch for the tenth time in the last hour. He'd never been good at waiting. He needed to keep his thoughts occupied, keep them from drifting back to the image of his friend fighting for his life. Computer chess had been a dismal failure as it reminded him too much of the person he was trying not to think about. Sleep had been even worse as his subconscious turned every horrible possibility into a virtual reality that seemed all too real and left his friend dying or dead.

In the end he gave up trying and made his way to the mess in search of coffee. If he couldn't sleep then he needed to keep his caffeine levels elevated. With a coffee mug in hand he'd settled in to spend his time studying what little data he'd gathered from the Ancient device. The jumper had only been connected to the Ancient weapon for a short while but in that time he'd managed to download several terabytes of data. Quite a lot to go through by himself but such a small amount compared to what the Ancient site likely held within its data banks. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him distracted from what was happening on Atlantis.

ooOoo

Teyla slowly circled her opponent, watching and waiting. She had learnt long ago under her father's tutelage that even the toughest warrior made mistakes, leaving his guard open. He taught her the wisdom of watching and waiting, of patience. Normally it came easily to her but not tonight. Tonight she felt restless and it was affecting her concentration. It was time to change tactics and take her opponent down before he added any more bruises to her arm.

She moved closer and swung her stick in close aiming for the ribs on his right. He ducked down to meet her missing the swing of her other hand. He grunted and fell backwards from the heavy blow, staring at her in surprise. She swung away from him and readied herself for another attack only stopping when someone spoke.

"Um…I can…come back…later."

Teyla spun round and found a nervous Doctor Novak stood in the gym doorway trying desperately not to hiccup.

"We've finished," replied Ronon from behind her.

Teyla still felt restless but knew he was right. It would not be wise to exhaust themselves before they reached Daleria. It was time to find another distraction. Perhaps another attempt at meditation was worth trying.

"Ronon is right. We are finished here."

Teyla collected her things and headed towards her temporary quarters. Ronon was following her she knew. She couldn't hear his footsteps but her instincts told her he was there nevertheless. She paused when she reached her room and turned to see her friend watching her.

"You okay?"

"I am just worried as we all are," replied Teyla. She had lost many people in her short life. Just as many of the people in the Pegasus galaxy had. Loss was not something new but she had hoped to avoid making its acquaintance again for a long time.

"Sheppard will beat this," replied Ronon.

ooOoo

"_Get ready to beam down McKay. We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in five minutes."_

Rodney straightened at the sound of Caldwell's voice surprised that they had already reached their destination. He hadn't expected the data he'd downloaded to hold his interest for so long but then he hadn't expected to find data on more than one weapons system. If he was right then this was just one of a chain of test facilities for the Ancients. So far he had only found brief listings of projects with no real data as to the technology being tested or the location of the site. Any and all Ancient technology was of interest but any weapons that could be used against the Wraith were doubly so. It would be nice to return with something to help make up for what these people had done to his friends.

Rodney finished packing his gear and joined Teyla and Ronon on the bridge trying to ignore the sense of deja vu that washed over him as the planet appeared before them.

"Run a scan of the Ancient site," ordered Caldwell as he rose from his seat and took a step forward.

Rodney held his breath as they waited for the results. They really could use any advantage in their fight against the Wraith but he wasn't willing to sacrifice himself or anyone else to the people responsible for hurting his friends.

"Scan of the Ancient site complete. There are a large number of life signs in the surrounding area and several inside. None in the lowest level."

"Great. Just great. Am I the only one that thinks this is just nuts?" asked Rodney.

"Ronon and I will protect you while you work," replied Teyla.

"I feel so much better now," snarked Rodney completely missing the look that passed between his team mates.

"Good luck. Beam them down."

ooOoo

Rodney nervously scanned the room expecting to see a Ree-Tan lunging at him and relaxed slightly at the confirmation that they were indeed alone in the obviously Ancient room. His eyes fell to the puddle of blood staining the floor and he shuddered. There was so much of it. A hand touched his arm and he dragged his attention away from the gory sight.

"We do not have much time."

He nodded. Teyla was right. He turned his attention to the consoles that lined the room and did his best to ignore his friend's blood. He quickly dismissed the units along the wall and moved to the console in the centre of the room, dropping his backpack to the floor and pulling his data-pad out. He crouched down and ran his eyes over the grey panel stopping when he found what he was looking for, a section that was separate from the rest. He pushed on it until he heard a click and it slid open to reveal a tray of crystals. Reaching across he clipped the leads from his data-pad to the crystal he presumed was the control and began to scroll through the data that appeared on his screen.

"_You have hostiles moving towards your position."_

Rodney looked over his shoulder nervously at Caldwell's words. Seeing no immediate threat did little to ease his fears.

"I'll check it out," stated Ronon.

"Be careful," replied Teyla as Ronon headed toward the door followed by a couple of marines.

Rodney turned back to his work and tried to quiet his overactive imagination that seemed intent on showing him images of what the Ree-Tan would do to them if they were caught. Unfortunately his mind had plenty to work with as he flashed back to the injuries his friend had sustained. It didn't matter that the Dalerians had been responsible, Major Lorne's injuries proved that the Ree-Tan were just as blood-thirsty and he had no intentions of experiencing their brand of torture first hand.

He paused as an entry in the log he was skimming through caught his attention. If he was reading things correctly the entry had been recorded just a short while before the Daedalus had arrived above the planet. He selected it and read through the details with growing interest. A weapon that used DNA profiling to search out its target wasn't what he had expected to find but it made sense when he thought about it. No wonder the Dalerians and Ree-Tan were so desperate to get their hands on the weapon. If he was understanding the text correctly the weapon could search out every DNA match on the planet within hours and encase it in some kind of cocoon that reminded him of the Wraith hive ships. Only there wasn't any possibility of escape once enshrouded by the device. As far as he could determine the cocoons only served one purpose and that was to breakdown the bonds of its victims body. The slow disintegration was designed to release the body's energy and pass it into the device enabling it to extend its range in search of more victims. A self-perpetuating attack that would only stop once there were no more victims to find.

An image of a figure shrouded in red sprang into his head and he realised that Sheppard had fired the weapon already. Sheppard must have targeted the Dalerians since the Ree-Tan were upright and doing their best to break into the Ancient site when the rescue team arrived. He scrolled back through the log and found an entry that marked the acquisition of its first target. He continued on his search but found no similar entries. That didn't make sense. If the device targeted anyone with Dalerian DNA it should have fired more than once by now. Had the device simply malfunctioned after ten thousand years of neglect? It was certainly possible but if that was the case why did the weapon seem to be waiting for further instruction?

Rodney glanced nervously at the open doorway as the muffled sound of weapons firing interrupted his thoughts.

"You must hurry, Rodney."

Rodney swallowed and nodded his head, casting another nervous look at the doorway before returning his attention to the Ancient device. He could work out why the device had stopped mid-sequence back on Atlantis in the safety of his lab. He started a download of the log details and set about looking for schematics or anything else that would tell him what he needed to know.

Several files looked interesting but weren't what he was looking for. He set them to download to his data-pad anyway while he continued his search. It had to be here somewhere. If only he could find it. It would tell him just how much of the Ancient equipment present was necessary to make the weapon work and how much could be left behind. Another important question he was keen to solve was the question of the power source the device used. He already knew it used the energy it drew from disintegrating its victims at the molecular level but he still had no idea what powered its initial assault. If it was a ZPM they could at least take that if they were forced to abandon the weapon itself. A ZPM would go a long way to helping them power Atlantis' defences and fend off the Wraith.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I hope Carson can find the answer and I hope John's team get what they want to and make it out safely. What can I say? I like happy endings but remember I'm not in charge here. The plot bunnies are and reviews calling for whump seem to spur them on to new heights of mayhem and cruelty.


	53. Chapter 53

**Author****'s Note:** MB has me blushing yet again. The answers are coming although a little slower than I would like. For some reason my muse is being less than co-operative of late. Anyway on with the tale.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only things that are mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here. As always all mistakes are of my own making and will hopefully be forgiven.

**Chapter 53**

Carson arched his back trying to ease the ache from sitting for too long and decided it was time for another cup of tea. Hours had passed since they began their search through the Ancient database and his aching back was all they had to show for it. It wasn't the result he had been hoping for.

"Want anything lass?" asked Carson holding up his empty mug.

Jennifer looked up from the monitor for a moment. "Thanks, Carson. I'd love a tea."

"Right. Back in a jiff."

He grabbed her empty cup and made his way through the lab to the little area that served as a break room. He sighed as he went through the mundane motions and scrubbed a hand across his eyes feeling the tiredness pull at him as he waited for the water to heat. He longed for a nap but he feared for his patient if he gave in. The new treatment was doing little to halt the infection for all the extra problems it brought. Carson worried at the added strain it placed on an already ravaged body. If things continued their downward trend he would be forced to intubate Sheppard before daybreak.

He pulled himself from his thoughts as a high-pitched whistle told him the water was ready. He finished making the tea and reached for the mugs only to stop as an excited yell reached his ears. It could only mean one thing and he raced back to the lab to find Jennifer smiling at him.

"You've found it?" asked Carson.

Jennifer nodded. "And even better there is a treatment listed."

Carson stepped in beside her and looked at the image on the screen instantly recognising the picture of the bacteria causing all of their problems. He quickly scanned through the text confirming the symptoms and progression of the infection if left untreated. It matched in every way the Colonel's symptoms and the rapid escalation of his fever. He skimmed ahead until he found the section detailing the treatment. He read on feeling encouraged that they finally had the answer they so desperately needed. The list of instructions was long and as he read his mood changed as he realised the complexity involved. It would take several hours to manufacture enough of the drug to make any difference. He sighed as he realised the implications. At the rate Sheppard's condition was deteriorating he'd be lucky to still be alive to receive the treatment. He mentally crossed his fingers and prayed it would be enough before turning to face Jennifer. He saw the same realisation on her face and reached out to her. "We'd better get started, lass." To her credit, she turned away and started to gather the supplies they needed.

ooOoo

_Elizabeth watched as John pushed himself to his feet and took an unsteady step towards her. Blood soaked his clothes, staining the ground at his feet. His eyes bore into hers begging her to give them what they wanted. But how could she when doing so would condemn another race to death? Tears streamed down her face as she ignored his pleas and condemned the man she loved. It was an impossible choice and she prayed that her death would quickly follow. _

_He cried out her name as he stumbled and she felt her heart shatter. She wanted to run to him but found herself frozen in place, forced to watch as an image of herself stepped up behind him, arm raised. How could she do this? He didn__'t deserve to die. She struggled against the force that held her still, screaming at her effigy to stop. She gasped in horror as the weapon roared and John fell. She sobbed as she stared down at his lifeless body. Blood seeped from the gaping wound in his back to pool around him. She looked down at her hands and saw the weapon responsible. She felt her world crumble as realisation dawned. He was dead and she had killed him._

"Elizabeth_?__"_

_She let the weapon drop and staggered backwards, wanting to escape from what she had done._

"Elizabeth."

_She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see dead eyes staring back at her in accusation. _

"Elizabeth!" 

She latched onto the familiar voice and found the world around her fading away. The pressure on her shoulder increased and she found herself looking into a pair of worried blue eyes.

"You were having a nightmare."

Fear gripped her as images flashed through her mind. Nightmare or memories, she was no longer sure.

"Elizabeth?"

She turned her head and saw Jennifer watching her with a concerned look. Fear still gripped her and she turned her gaze to the next bed, panicking at the sight that met her. She shrugged the hand from her shoulder and pushed at the bedding as she scrambled to get out of bed and run to John's side. Jennifer snagged her arm and held on despite Elizabeth's efforts.

"Elizabeth you need to let Carson do his job. The ventilator will allow John to concentrate on fighting the infection."

"I thought…" started Elizabeth, unable to finish the sentence for fear voicing it would make it all the more likely.

Jennifer gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't give up just yet. We've found a reference to the bacteria causing all of the John's problems in the Ancient database brought back a few months ago. It's too soon to know for sure but we think we've found a treatment that will work."

Elizabeth studied the young doctor, noticing the shadows lining her eyes. She wanted to believe but so much had gone wrong since stepping through to Atlantis that first time. So much had gone right too, she knew, but all she could think of at the moment were all the people that had stepped through with her and weren't with them anymore. So many had died and she had hoped that John would never be among their number. It was selfish she knew but she wished it all the same. She truly hoped that Jennifer's cure would work but she was too jaded to believe in miracles when the cost of their failure was too hard to bear.

"Did you hear me? We've found a treatment that the Ancient's used to treat the bacteria infecting John," repeated Jennifer.

Carson walked over to stand by Jennifer. "She's right Elizabeth. According to the Ancient's notes, the treatment has a high success rate."

Elizabeth switched her attention to Carson and noticed the same shadows under his eyes. A serious expression marked his face and she sensed there was more to the treatment than she was being told. She wondered briefly whether she would regret asking her next question but asked it anyway. It was better to be forewarned in her experience. "What's the catch?"

Carson sighed and she knew she'd been right to ask the question. "It will likely take several hours to manufacturer the drug."

"And you're not sure John has that long?" asked Elizabeth even though she already knew the answer, the evidence was visible in the bed next to hers.

"Aye," replied Carson quietly. "Even if we can make the drug in time it may be too late to have any real effect. His injuries and the infection have exhausted him and his body is simply shutting down. We'll do our best but it may not be enough."

Tears filled her eyes as Carson's words sank in. She scrubbed a hand over her face to wipe them away and looked over at the still figure in the next bed. She didn't want to lose him. Not now. Not ever. She turned back to Carson and Jennifer and saw the sympathy in their eyes. She sniffed back the still threatening tears. "I know you will Carson. Thank you for trying."

Carson placed a tender hand on her shoulder and nodded before turning to leave. Jennifer gave her a sad smile and followed him leaving her to her own thoughts and memories. She pushed the covers back and made her way to John's bed. He was so still. Too still. She reached out a hand and brushed her fingers across his stubble covered cheek. She leaned in close and brushed her lips against his skin whispering words she longed to tell him someday. "I love you, John. Don't leave me."

ooOoo

Ronon kept close to the wall as he moved silently along the empty passage. Noises drifted to him from the open doorway he could see further ahead. Four marines trailed behind him, weapons at the ready. So far they had encountered no Ree-Tan nor any evidence of their passage. The room they approached was one of only two along this section. Another open door sat in the opposite wall and Ronon was well aware of the danger it posed. He strained to hear any sounds from within but only silence greeted him. Experience had taught him that silence meant little. It could easily hide a hunter just waiting for his prey to take the bait. He signalled to the marines and three of their number separated from the group and crossed to the other wall. He tilted his head forward and both groups moved forward reaching the openings and pausing for a moment.

Ronon strained to hear the faint sounds he could now hear from the room beside him and tried to discern how many its walls hid. He counted at least four but there could easily be more. He nodded to the marine leading the second group and counted a beat before swinging round and firing into the room. The Ree-Tan were caught off-guard and he dropped two of their number before they managed to return fire. He felt a burning pain in his forearm as an arrow grazed across his skin before he ducked back from the opening. More arrows followed landing harmlessly in the wall opposite. Ronon glanced across at the other marine and received a shake of his head in reply confirming that the other room was as empty as the silence had implied.

It was small relief though as his quick head count had shown at least a half dozen men in the room behind his back. There was no way to know if the room held another exit but they wouldn't be leaving by the one he was guarding. One of Sheppard's phrases came to mind, something about fish and a barrel, bringing with it an image of his friend's battered body. He felt his anger deepen. He had learned long ago to channel anger into action on the battlefield rather than let it cloud his judgement. He used it now as he swept the room with weapons fire not even bothering to peer around the door frame. His shots were more likely to miss their targets but a few would find their mark.

Another barrage of arrows forced him to retreat but he noted with satisfaction there were fewer than before. He moved to fire into the room again but pulled back when an arrow thudded into the wall barely missing his head. P-90 fire burst from behind providing covering fire as he retreated to the safety of a bend in the wall. He stole a glance and spotted the second group of Ree-Tan using the far corner as shelter to fire from. They must have come down from the upper level. It wouldn't be long before more joined their number. Too many for them to hold them off even with their more sophisticated weaponry.

Ronon made his decision and signalled to the marines to fall back. As soon as they started to move he turned back to fire around the corner. He glanced back and saw his men were safe before sending another blast towards the Ree-Tan. Without looking back he turned and ran as fast as he could. It wouldn't take the Ree-Tan long to venture from their cover and make it to the corner he'd just left. He hoped to be as far away as possible when that happened but he had no illusions about his situation. The passageway ahead of him was far too long for him to reach safety before the Ree-Tan found him. Hopefully Sheppard had trained his marines well and they would keep the target off his back.

He grinned as a P-90 appeared followed by the head of one of the marines. Bullets rained passed him as he ran. He heard a sharp yell from behind and figured that one of the bullets had found a target. The corner neared and he threw himself around it as an arrow sliced across his arm leaving a burning trail of blood. He ignored it and pushed himself to his feet. Another passageway led away from their position and led to the final corner before the transporter to the bottom level. It was time to cut their losses and retreat.

Ronon tapped his radio. "McKay better be ready." He didn't wait for a reply. Teyla would know what to do.

ooOoo

"How much longer Rodney?" asked Teyla from her position by the door.

"I'm nowhere near done," replied Rodney.

It was not the answer she wanted to hear. Neither did she want to hear the muffled sound of weapons fire as it moved closer. It was foolish to think that they could hold the Ree-Tan back for long. They had far superior numbers and fought with the desperation of a long suppressed people. She could understand their battle and wished again that it had not come to this. The Ree-Tan deserved their freedom but not at any cost. "You must hurry. Ronon cannot hold the Ree-Tan back for much longer."

"Extra pressure doesn't help!"

Teyla had witnessed many occasions since coming to Atlantis that proved otherwise despite his words. He fooled many with his barbed tongue but beneath his rough edges beat the heart of a good and brave man. Not that she would tell him lest she feed his already overfed ego.

She turned her attention back to the passageway and to the closed doors of the transporter. There would be little enough warning if the doors opened to reveal foe rather than friend. Her radio crackled to life bringing with it the sound of gun-fire.

"_McKay better be ready."_

"Rodney. We need to move now. Can we transport the weapon or not?" asked Teyla over her shoulder.

"Give me a second. I think I've found something," replied Rodney.

She nodded to the marine standing guard before moving inside the room. Rodney was bent over his data-pad scrolling through diagrams, scrutinising one before quickly moving onto another. The images meant nothing to her but it was obvious they meant much to the scientist. His eyes practically coveted the information as he continued his quest. "Rodney?"

He sighed in frustration and turned to face her. "No, we can't transport the weapon."

"Then we need to destroy it," replied Teyla reaching for the explosive they had brought with them.

"Wait! Just wait a minute."

Teyla let her hand drop and waited.

"We can't transport the weapon but we might be able to transport the energy source."

"A ZPM?" Many of their trips through the gate had been in search of such a device to power Atlantis' defences but so far their searches had been in vain.

"Maybe. I don't know yet. Just two minutes. That's all I need."

She inclined her head and turned her attention back to the door hoping she wouldn't regret her decision.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Oh oh! I see trouble in everyone's future. I hope I'm wrong.


End file.
